What if someone says that leftovers are great! When you start planning what to have in dinner, you would love to remember that you have some leftover food. All you need is to just reheat the food, and you are ready with a delicious dinner. No extra dishes – no extra work!
Food health experts and scientists have suggested that having leftovers is healthy for the body, environment and even the wallet. Contrary to popular relief, recooking food doesn’t mean that the food’s nutrients are destroyed. In some cases, it enhances the health benefits too.
Healthy You – Healthy Your Environment!
The Environmental Protection Agency reports that food waste makes up around 20% of landfills and constitutes a significant source of methane gas as it rots. Methane is a potent greenhouse and contributes significantly to the earth’s warming.
Food waste accounts for 2% of the overall greenhouse gas emissions, 31% of the agricultural land, 35% of the freshwater sources, and 30% of the fertilizer usage. So, it is obvious that reusing leftovers for better food options is great for both health as well as for the environment.
Let’s check out some surprising benefits of eating leftovers one must know.
Leftover Rice Have Less Kilojoules
Eating rice that’s boiled for some time with some oil while cooking absorbs 50% of less kilojoules. It mainly happens because of the oil and the cooling course that changes the overall formation of the rice starch. This makes it more resilient to the digestive enzymes in the body.
On top of that, you can turn the leftover rice into a delightful food item made of rice. You can buy quality food containers in South Africa or in your preferred location and store the cooked rice overnight in the refrigerator.
Carrots in the form of Leftovers can Prevent Cancer
The overall process of cooking increases the levels of antioxidants that can fight cancer by 34% immediately. And the best thing is that the levels subsequently continue rising for a few days. So, eating leftover carrots are always good for health. It is important to note that the cooking method does not matter here, and the antioxidants will rise whether you bake it, boil or microwave it.
Leftover Potatoes Boost Immunity Level
When cooked and left to cool, potatoes become a rich source of resistant starch. Resistant starch is usually fermented in the large intestine and changes into short-chain fatty acids that help promote a healthy gut. Furthermore, healthy stomach bacteria is closely connected to decent immune function.
Leftover Pasta Can Save You from Diabetes
When you eat pasta after it’s cooked, cooled or reheated, the blood sugar levels will rise only partially as high as post-meal as when you consume directly having cooking it. This matters the most because keeping levels of blood glucose under control help in causing type 2 diabetes. The difference you have by having reheated pasta is that it is more resistant to digestion. And thus, it causes less surge in the blood sugar levels.
Make sure to buy quality food containers in South Africa or from your preferred location to keep food fresh even after reheating them. Hope the discussion was fruitful. Please share your insights with us in the comment section below.
