At a time when it comes to healthy eating and zero waste, an expert warning remembers that not all the most common habits in the kitchen are safe. It sounds like a harmless gesture, but it can be dangerous for health: storing cooked rice in the refrigerator more than one day can cause food poisoning. The warning is from the food engineer susete, which explains how this error, often in many houses, allows the development of a heat that resists the heat and has no smell or taste.
The expert explains that the risk is in the bacteria Bacillus cereuspresent in raw grains and capable of resisting even after cooking. When rice is left to cool at room temperature or while storing in the fridge for more than one day, this bacteria can multiply and produce a toxin called cereulide, which is not eliminated even after reheating.
“It is an invisible toxin, without smell and flavorless, that resists the heat and can cause intoxications even after the rice is reheated,” warns the food engineer, quoted by Saturday magazine.
What can happen if rice is consumed
The most frequent symptoms associated with ingestion of this toxin include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and general malaise. Although in many cases they pass within a few hours, repetition of this type of contamination can have longer effects, affecting the gut and reducing protective bacteria from intestinal flora.
According to Susete Estrela, “Food Safety is the first pillar of a healthy eating.” Therefore, storing rice incorrectly or for too long is sufficient to turn a nutritious food into a silent risk.
Healthy eating can also be dangerous
The food engineer recalls that eating well is not the same as eating safely. “There are families who do not get sick for eating badly, but for eating insecurely,” he explains. The problem is in the rooted habits, transmitted from generation to generation, which today have become maladjusted to the current food reality, according to the same source.
“Foods travel long production and transport chains before they arrived at our table. They need different care from those in the grandmother’s kitchen,” he adds.
Other common errors in Portuguese kitchens
Among risky behaviors, the expert also identifies the habit of washing raw chicken, which spreads bacteria through the bench and utensils, and proving food to find out if it is spoiled, a misleading practice, as many toxins do not alter taste or smell.
Another frequent mistake is to let the food cool all night outside the refrigerator. Even if it seems harmless, this gesture favors bacterial growth and may compromise meal safety the next day.
Materials that can increase the risk
Susete star also recommends attention to the containers used to store food. Old plastics, scratched or used in the microwave can release chemicals that migrate to food. “Glass is the safest choice. It’s stable, does not interact with what we keep and does not transfer invisible risks,” he explains, quoted by the same source.
The same precaution should be applied to the use of aluminum paper. The expert recalls that this material should not be used in direct contact with acidic foods such as tomatoes or citrus, to prevent aluminum particles from moving to food.
How to prevent food poisoning
To reduce risk, star suse recommends rice cool quickly after cooked, store only small portions in the fridge and consume it within 24 hours. “It should never be reheated more than once,” he stresses.
Other good practices include maintaining the refrigerator between 2 and 4 degrees, separating raw foods from cooking and replacing boards and containers when they are scratched or damaged, according to.
An alert to change habits
The food engineer, who is also a mentor of integrative nutrition, argues that food security should be seen as an essential part of a healthy life. “Cooking safely is taking care of health and planet. Small attitude changes can avoid disease and protect families,” he says.
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