Things to note when bringing lunch to work

Because there are too many cases of cooking with gutter oil, the health of some people who work outside the home is threatened. Office workers have reduced the number of times they go out for lunch and have brought their own lunch from home. This way they can finally rest assured, right? But is it really healthy for office workers to bring their own lunch? Here are some things to note for office workers when bringing their own lunch.

Nutrition and Food Safety Answers

1. Where does nitrite come from?

As vegetables grow, they absorb nitrogen fertilizer and convert it into nitrates which are stored in their bodies. During storage or bacterial growth, nitrates will be converted into nitrites, which is why nitrites are found in overnight dishes.

The nitrite content in fish and meat is very low, so it is generally very low or even absent in fresh meat. If there is a lot of nitrite, it may have been added artificially. Our country's laws have banned the addition of nitrite in the catering industry.

2. Nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, but compounds such as nitrosamines eaten raw may cause cancer

Nitrite itself is not carcinogenic, and trace amounts of nitrite can even help lower blood pressure and prevent heart disease. Although it is not carcinogenic in itself, nitrite can react with the decomposition products of protein to form nitrosamines, nitrosamides, and nitrosourea compounds. These types of compounds are indeed carcinogenic. The environment in our stomach is suitable for the formation of nitrosamines, which may indeed increase the risk of gastric cancer.

3. How much nitrite is there in leftover food?

How great the cancer risk is depends on how much nitrite is present. my country's standard limit for nitrite in fresh vegetables is no more than 4 mg/kg. It has been determined that if green leafy vegetables such as spinach are not turned over after cooking and refrigerated at 4 degrees, the nitrite content will increase from about 3 mg/kg to 7 mg/kg after 24 hours. If the leftovers are stirred, the bacteria will spread and the nitrite content in them will be slightly higher, but still very low.

At present, my country's standards stipulate that the nitrite content in processed meat products such as ham sausage should not exceed 30-70 mg/kg, and the nitrite content in pickled vegetables should not exceed 20 mg/kg, but there is no limit on household leftover vegetables. By making such a comparison, we will find that the nitrite content in leftover vegetables is much lower than that in meat products such as ham and pickles. Ham and pickles are still edible. If overnight vegetables are not edible, then many things will be inedible. In addition, vitamin C, vitamin E and some polyphenols in vegetables can reduce the production of nitrosamines. Therefore, eating more vegetables can help eliminate some carcinogens. Therefore, it is okay to eat leftover food without worrying too much about the risk of cancer.

Although the food you bring does not contain gutter oil, if, as mentioned in the article, some chemical reactions occur with overnight food, it can cause great harm to the human body. If the chemical components produced meet protein, they will produce a carcinogenic substance, and the damage will be greater. It is not that you cannot eat overnight food, but you must be careful when eating it to avoid eating it with foods containing protein.