Don’t bin leftover food — it’s better for you second time around

FROM congealed curry to cold pasta, you may think there’s nothing more dispiriting than a fridge full of leftovers. But scientists are saying these dishes could have surprising health benefits, thanks to the chemical reactions that take place when food is left overnight.

From glowing skin to trimmer waists, we reveal why yesterday’s supper could be so good for you.

COLD RICE TO STAY SLIM

Rice, when chilled overnight can contain up to 60 per cent fewer calories than when freshly cooked — potentially dropping from 130 calories per 100g to just 52. But you need to cook it in the right way, according to research presented to the American chemical Society.

When the water is boiling, before the rice is added, pour a little coconut oil into the pan — about 3 per cent of the weight of the rice you’re using. When cooked, leave in the fridge for 12 hours to hugely reduce the calories.

This exciting phenomenon is down to the way starch in the rice changes when it is heated then cooled.

When cooked rice is eaten, its starch is turned into the sugar — glucose — by the body and converted into fat if not burned off.

However, when rice is chilled, its starch becomes what is called ‘resistant starch’, which the body cannot digest. This means it is not included in the calorie count.

The coconut oil stops the cold rice from sticking together, and also seems to produce more resistant starch in the rice, further reducing the number of calories.

Food scientist Dr Sam christie explains: ‘The oil may be providing a barrier to the boiling water, slowing down the cooking of the rice. The result appears to be a less digestible form of rice containing more resistant starch.’

These are, she warns, preliminary findings. However, this could be wonderful news for dieters.

But don’t forget, reheating rice can lead to food poisoning.

Dr Martin Goldberg, microbiology lecturer at Nottingham Trent University warns: ‘The bacterium Bacillus cereus, found on some rice, can survive the cooking process. As rice cools, the spores germinate and produce a neurotoxin that can make you horribly sick.

‘ if you wish to eat cold or reheated rice, cook small amounts and put straight into the fridge to cool quickly.’

6/10

BEEF SOUP FOR SKIN

BONe broth is a big nutritional trend. Low-calorie and rich-tasting, the soup also appears to be packed with ingredients to make your skin glow.

As the name suggests, it contains the bones from meat — beef, lamb or chicken — cooked with water and ideally a little cider vinegar to help the process.

collagen from the bones breaks down into gelatin, which is easy to digest and excellent for the skin.

Recipes often suggest leaving the broth to simmer for hours.

‘complex chemical reactions take place — and the more disintegrated the bones, (and, therefore, digestible) the massive protein molecules, which are the cement of the body, become,’ explains Dr christie.

Minerals and nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and cartilage also become easy to digest. The broth is thought to have benefits for bones, teeth and joints and help hair and fingernails to grow.

‘Only re-heat any food once and ensure it’s very hot ( over 60 degrees celsius) to kill any bacteria,’ says Dr Goldberg.

9/10

EASY-TO-DIGEST CHEESE

AS cHeeSe ages, its lactose content decreases.

While around 5 per cent of the population is intolerant of lactose, in the rest of us, cheese can cause bloating, stomach aches or diarrhoea — so you may find older cheese easier to digest.

Dr Goldberg says: ‘The bacteria used to make cheese ferment the lactose and create lactic acid. This makes the protein in the milk curdle and you are left with the curd that is used to make the solid cheese.’

‘Any lactose left in the cheese will be broken down gradually over time by these bacteria, making it easier to digest.

‘i wouldn’t recommend eating cheese which looks (or smells) as though it has gone off, though. Maybe you should just buy a wellaged cheddar.’

5/10

VEG TO BEAT IBS

We ALL know that cooking vegetables for longer removes vitamin c. But some believe that people with digestive problems, such as irritable bowel syndrome, ought to overcook vegetables containing insoluble fibre, such as onions and garlic, which can cause bloating. Reheating the next day could supposedly soften them further.

Dr christie is unconvinced. ‘Sorry, you aren’t going to make any real difference to the molecular structure,’ she says.

‘This isn’t proven and i don’t recommend it. iBS suffers ought instead to find out which foods to avoid on specialist websites, such as ibsdiet.org.’

1/10

‘GOOD GUT’ POTATOES

A 1992 UK study found cooked potatoes contained just 7 per cent resistant starch (the indigestible type). But when cooled, it jumped to 13 per cent.

Separate research has discovered this starch has the same benefits as dietary fibre, that protects against colon cancer, increases the feeling of fullness and might even reduce fat storage.

‘When potatoes are cooled after heating, the starch molecules expand and crystallise,’ says Dr christie. ‘Once swallowed, this resistant starch is treated like fibre by the digestive system.’

Another brilliant feature of resistant starch is that it can’t be broken down. This means it helps food move through the system, preventing constipation. And it doesn’t turn back into normal starch if the potatoes are then reheated.

‘Raw potato would be ideal, but would be pretty unpalatable,’ says Dr christie. ‘cold cooked ones might be a happy compromise.’

Make them into potato salad or simply sauté.

8/10

HEART-FRIENDLY CURRY

eveN the fieriest curry is gentler the next day. What’s more, it may be easier to digest and contain more nutrients as the meat tenderises overnight.

‘if you leave a meat curry for a few hours, the animal proteins degrade and become softer,’ says Dr christie.

‘This is firstly a good way of improving the texture of cheaper cuts of meat. Tenderising for long enough will create a fine melt-inthe-mouth dish.’

if you struggle to eat red meat — and suffer heartburn or bloating — this is a more digestible version. Theoretically it may also release more trace elements such as iron, which can help with anaemia.

7/10

LOWER-GI PASTA

Tv DOcTOR Dr chris van Tulleken gave freshly cooked and reheated pasta to volunteers, then took blood samples to carry out a comparison study.

He found that not only did the reheated pasta behave more like high-fibre food when absorbed in the gut, but the volunteers’ blood sugar levels increased by half the usual amount. This could reduce the chances of putting on weight or developing diabetes.

Researchers have suggested the finding might change the way we all cook our pasta.

‘Freshly cooked pasta is a carbohydrate that breaks down into sugars in the gut,’ says Dr christie. ‘This raises blood sugar levels, causing a rush of the hormone insulin. Over time, these fluctuations can contribute to such conditions as Type 2 diabetes.’

‘cooling and reheating pasta means it becomes resistant to normal enzymes in the gut that break down carbohydrates and release blood sugar-inducing glucose.’

‘Again, it is resistant starch — which has a lower Gi (glycaemic index) — so puts less strain on the blood sugar-controlling system.

‘The sauce will help, too. cooked tomatoes are better for you than raw, as cooking them breaks down their cell walls to release the antioxidant lycopene, which can protect against disease.’

9/10