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Does stale food make you lazy? Here's what nutritionists have to say about it

| TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Last updated on - Dec 21, 2022, 07:57 IST

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The REAL reason why you must avoid stale food

There cannot be a more depressing thing than finding leftover food in your refrigerator and finding it weird tasting and stale. Well, it’s a common mistake that most of us make while coming home after a hectic day and eating leftover food, as we don’t have enough energy to make fresh food. A refrigerator is often considered the best choice to store leftover food, but it’s not always the best choice for keeping the food fresh for a longer duration. Experts agree that leftover food can only stay fresh for 48 hours in the fridge and consuming the same after 48 hours, can have a negative impact on your digestive system. Not just that, but consuming such food can also make you lazy. We talked to Bhopal-based Nutritionist Dr Ruchi Soni who is a Diet Expert at ToneOp and Delhi-based popular Nutritionist Mansi Gupta at MAIA Nutrition, about why consuming stale food makes us lazy. Here’s what they told us…

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The nutritionists’ take on stale food

Mansi says, “The nutritional composition of food are lost directly proportional to the surface area exposed to air and the number of times, the food is heated. Thus, it doesn’t provide any energy or activates any mood boosters in your body, which ultimately makes you depressed and lazy.”

Dr Ruchi, who is a firm believer in Ayurveda says no matter how you store the food, it is essential to consume it within 3 hours of being cooked. According to her, “Leftover or stale food is considered ‘tamasic’ because of reheating and over-cooking. Not only does the meal's nutritional value decrease, but it can also affect the taste, texture, and nutritional quality of foods.” Dr Ruchi also says that eating leftovers past the recommended time can also increase the risk of foodborne illnesses/food poisoning.

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Why does food go stale?

It has not been proven till now why food goes stale by scientists, but it is perhaps due to the chemical structural changes in the cooked food that happens when the food is reheated several times or was cooked much earlier. These chemical changes might harden some food, while others may get soft and lose their crunchiness.

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The ‘stale food’ signs

There are a few signs that can save you from consuming stale food, which can further prevent you from food-borne illnesses. From colour & smell to the texture, stale food can be easily identified. Whenever you have leftover food in your kitchen pantry/refrigerator, look for the colour differences. Most of the time, stale food is a bit dark coloured than cooked food. Next, is to smell the food. If the food has been stored for more than 48 hours, depending on the shelf life of the food, you will get a sour/tangy smell from the food. Also, the texture of cooked food might go a little too soft due to the rotting of the food. Thus, in order to prevent food-borne diseases, it’s always better to check out these signs before consuming stale foods.

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How not to eat ‘stale food’?

Both nutritionists agree that one should eat freshly cooked food. Even if you don’t have the strength or energy to make some delicious food for yourself, always have some healthy alternatives ready such as Ghugni, Roasted Chickpeas, Popcorn, Banana with Peanut Butter, Greek Yoghurt with berries and Poha.

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