Specialist Doctor 1 Dinh Tran Ngoc Mai, Department of Nutrition - Dietetics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, answers: Cold rice is the leftover rice from the previous meal of many families. To save money and cooking time, many people use cold rice for the next meal.

Cold rice has higher resistant starch content than hot rice.

In terms of benefits, cold rice has a higher content of resistant starch than hot rice. Resistant starch is a type of starch that is not digested and absorbed by the body, and has many health benefits, including:

Reduce blood sugar : Resistant starch can help slow down the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, leading to lower blood sugar levels. This effect is important for diabetics, as it can cause blood sugar to rise more slowly after eating, reducing the amount of starch absorbed.

Increase satiety : Resistant starch can help you feel fuller for longer, helping you control your weight. Supports weight loss because resistant starch provides less energy than regular starch.

Good for gut health : Resistant starch can help feed beneficial bacteria in the gut, helping to improve digestive health.

Thin people, children, and the elderly should limit eating cold rice.

Therefore, cold rice is not easy to digest and does not spike blood sugar levels like hot rice, contains fewer calories than hot rice, etc. Therefore, cold rice is suitable for people who are on a weight loss diet or have high blood sugar levels.

However, according to Dr. Ngoc Mai, thin people, people with poor digestion such as children, the elderly, sick people who need a lot of energy, pregnant women..., should eat warm rice and limit cold dishes because they directly affect the secretion of digestive juices and intestinal motility, if prolonged, it will adversely affect health.

Store cold rice in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius or below.

Cold rice left at room temperature for a long time is a favorable environment for bacteria to grow, especially harmful bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Salmonella, Staphylococcus aureus,... These bacteria can produce toxins that are harmful to the body, leading to food poisoning.

Dr. Ngoc Mai said that cold rice should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 4 degrees Celsius or below to limit the growth of bacteria. Cold rice can be left at room temperature for 2-4 hours, in the refrigerator for 2-4 days and in the freezer for 2-3 months. In addition, when cold rice shows signs of spoilage, strange odor, sour taste or signs of mold, you should absolutely not eat it because it can cause food poisoning.