A doctor has revealed why she would ‘never eat’ these five items and why they can be so bad for your health.
Eat this, eat that. Don’t ever touch that or only have a handful of that a day. It can be hard to keep up with the latest advice, rules, recommendations and what not in order to try and live your healthiest life.
And Dr Jessica Kiss – who goes by Ask Dr Mom on TikTok – took to her platform earlier this year to reveal the ‘five things’ she ‘will never eat as a doctor,’ emphasizing the ‘last one’ may be ‘super weird’ but is actually ‘very important’.
1) Reheated rice
Look, we’ve all been there. You’ve had a big night out, you treated yourself to a cheeky Chinese takeaway on the way back from the club and your eyes were way too big for your stomach. Not to worry though, because what’s more joyful to wake up to on a hangover than to more Chinese?
We get it, reheated rice can be risky, but when you’ve plied yourself with copious amounts of toxic alcohol, can it really do much more damage to your insides?
Well, Dr Kiss explains a ‘serious type of bacteria’ ‘comes out’ when boiled rice is ‘left at room temperature for a bit’, which is then ‘reactivated if you reheat’ it in the microwave ‘not efficiently enough’.
Basically, the doctor says it makes ‘spores’ – yes, like something out of The Last of Us – and so it’s not just ‘as simple as killing the bacteria’.
But if you’ve upgraded your rice game and have a rice cooker, Dr Kiss reassures then that method of reheating is ‘probably fine’ – so your reheated rice can live to see another day.
“But if it comes up to room temperature, don’t eat it again, like don’t,” she resolves.
We’ve all heard the warnings about rice before (Getty Stock Images/ Adina Vlasceanu/ 500px)
2) Picnic food
Given most of us now have to wait a whole year for another summer, this one should be a bit easier to abide by.
“You will not see me eat things that have been sitting out at a picnic,” Dr Kiss says, explaining the ‘risk of food borne illness is just too high’ for food items, which have been left out in the open for a prolonged period of time.
The solution? “Eat right away or eat later.”
3) The food item is not a natural color
This isn’t a hard and fast rule for Dr Kiss, however, she notes 99 percent of the time she won’t eat food which has been dyed a strange color – exemplifying with her hair.
She explains food items ‘covered in food dye’ are ‘just not good for your system‘.
Oh, and she doesn’t want to ‘be pooping neon for the next week either’ – suit yourself.
“I avoid that like the plague,” she resolved.
It may look fun, but it may not be so fun on your gut (Getty Stock Images/ Mrs)
4) Food from a ‘dented can’
While she’s not a big advocate of food from a can being ‘the best thing for you’ anyway, Dr Kiss notes sometimes it’s a must.
But why is it so bad if it’s dented? Well, the TikToker explains if she didn’t see someone drop it or wasn’t the one who dropped it herself, she would be concerned about ‘botulism’.
Ask USDA explains: ” Deep dents often have sharp points. A sharp dent on either the top or side seam can damage the seam and allow bacteria to enter the can. Discard any can with a deep dent on any seam.”
The CDC adds: “Botulism is a rare but serious illness. It is caused by a toxin that attacks the body’s nerves and causes difficulty breathing, muscle paralysis, and even death.”
I have more. But these are my big ones. For sure share this list with a friend! #5things #doctorlife #sickday #fall2024 #fallfood #momlife
5) Grapefruit
And last, but certainly not least, is grapefruit. Not dented grapefruit or mouldy grapefruit, just grapefruit in general.
Dr Kiss explains: “I don’t eat grapefruit and the reason being is so many medications interact with grapefruit.”
Basically, the way the fruit is processed in your body interacts with them so you should check with your doctor whether you can enjoy the fruit.