Leftover Rice is a Major Source of Food Poisoning, Experts Claim

To some people – particularly those who live in Asian countries – rice is a staple food for every meal. From breakfast to lunch to dinner, rice always has to be present.

While some people are fond of eating leftover rice, a new study suggests that leftover rice is actually bad for one’s health.

Contrary to popular belief, eating leftover rice can actually result to food poisoning

In a research courtesy of NHS, leftover rice is a decent case of food poisoning. And sadly, not everyone knows this. Mind you, it is not the reheating that causes the main problem here. It is instead the way rice has been stored, in one way or another, after being cooked for the first time.

It turns out that uncooked rice often contains cells that are capable of reproducing quickly. These are basically spores of Bacillus cereus, a kind of bacteria strand that causes food poisoning. Even when a rice is cooked, this bacteria still tends to live.

Leftover rice actually contains spores that can survive even after reheating.

If the rice is left at a certain room temperature after being boiled, the said spores can easily grow into bacteria. They will eventually multiply exponentially, producing toxins that could result to diarrhea or vomiting.

The longer the food is left at said temperature, the more likely the bacteria grows. This simply makes the rice very unsafe to eat. So if you plan to reheat and eat it later, it is best to store the rice the right way quickly. So, how exactly can one increase his/her chances of avoiding such food poisoning?

The toxins can either cause diarrhea or vomiting.

The ideal way is to serve the rice as soon as it is cooked. As for the leftovers, it is best to cool them off right away. It is even recommended to have it cooled for an hour. This can be done through refrigerating the rice before reheating it. Furthermore, it is best to never reheat it more than once. Doing so will only cause the bacteria to grow at a faster rate.