In life, many people have some habits of saving because they are afraid of waste, but little do they know that these habits inadvertently bury many health hazards. Today, we have compiled 8 seemingly "good habits" that actually threaten health. Let's take a look together! 1. When thawing meat at room temperature, many people will take it out of the refrigerator and put it directly at room temperature or throw it directly into water for thawing. Neither of these methods is recommended. Room temperature generally refers to 20-25 ℃, while 4-60 ℃ is a dangerous temperature range that is conducive to bacterial "parties". Thawing large chunks of meat at room temperature takes at least 2 hours, and some may even take 5 hours. During this period, microorganisms can rapidly grow and it may be unsafe to consume. A literature published in Food Industry Technology shows that researchers compared the effects of different thawing methods on pork quality through experiments, including thawing at room temperature of 25 ℃, thawing in still water at 25 ℃, and thawing at low temperature of 4 ℃. The results indicate that although thawing at 4 ℃ is relatively slow, it not only reduces bacterial growth but also inhibits fat oxidation. Slow thawing can also allow sufficient time for the moisture in the meat to penetrate and migrate into the tissue, maintaining a full state as much as possible and better preserving the quality of the meat. Meat thawed at room temperature has more juice loss and poorer taste and color; When thawed in still water, the water temperature is generally around 25 ℃, and the thermal conductivity is greater than that of air. The thawing speed is faster, the juice loss is more severe, and the taste is worse than when thawed at room temperature. Solution: Transfer the frozen meat from the freezer to the refrigerator one day in advance and slowly thaw it. If you forget, you can use a microwave to thaw (thawing mode), but the volume of the food should not be too large, preferably small and flat, so that it can be heated evenly. After thawing in the microwave, it should be cooked immediately. 2. The oil used for frying food is not worth throwing away. Many people keep the oil used for frying food and even use it to fry food multiple times. Firstly, after high-temperature frying, the nutritional value of edible oil will decrease, destroying essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins. A study published in Food Technology used high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to determine the fatty acid composition in recycled oil. The results showed that the content of unsaturated fatty acids such as linolenic acid, linoleic acid, and oleic acid in peanut oil is usually above 85%, but after 2 hours of frying, only 17% remains. Vitamin E in vegetable oil can be destroyed by 70% to 90% after high-temperature frying, and the degree of damage is even more severe with repeated use of "recycled oil". Secondly, this oil also contains many harmful components. During the frying process, oil is affected by oxygen and moisture in the air, which promotes oxidation and rancidity, resulting in a rancid taste. As the number of frying cycles increases, the degree of rancidity will gradually increase, and the peroxides and free radicals produced by the oxidation and rancidity of oil will accelerate the aging process of the human body. It can also produce various carcinogens, such as acrylamide, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, heterocyclic amines, etc. At the same time, trans fatty acids are also produced, and the higher the number of times they are reused, the higher the content. Excessive intake of these components can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease death. Solution: It's really a pity to throw it away. We don't usually deep fry food, so if we do, the remaining oil can be used reasonably. Let it cool and stand still first, filter out the residue, and seal and store it in cold storage. It can be used for making cold dishes, mixing dumpling fillings, and blanching vegetables (adding 1 tablespoon of oil can keep the vegetables in color). 3. Immediately turn off the range hood after cooking. For the sake of health, it is recommended that everyone continue to turn on the range hood for a while after cooking. Heating edible oil during cooking can produce cooking fumes, which are a mixture of volatile oils, organic matter, and thermal oxidation and cracking produced during the hot cooking process of food. They contain at least 300 substances, including highly carcinogenic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and mutagenic heterocyclic amines. A study published in Food Science found that the mass concentration and quantity concentration of PM2.5 during indoor cooking increased by 12 times and 85 times, respectively, compared to non cooking time. If we are exposed to such an environment for a long time, it will bring us many health hazards, increasing the risk of respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cervical cancer, reproductive disorders, sleep disorders, depression, fetal development disorders, and so on. Not only that, a literature on the analysis of the dynamic distribution of PM2.5 under different operating modes of kitchen range hoods points out that the PM2.5 generated during cooking will quickly fill the room, so we need to turn on the range hood 20 seconds before cooking to better control the distribution of oil fumes and prevent their spread; During the cooking process, it is important to keep the range hood on continuously and let it work for 3 minutes after cooking to better exhaust PM2.5 and ensure its concentration meets air quality requirements. Solution: Turn on the range hood before cooking and wait for about half a minute to start pouring oil and stir frying; Turn off the range hood 3 minutes after cooking is complete. In addition, it is best to choose a range hood with an air volume of up to 20m?/min. 4. Like hot drinks, hot food, hot rice, steaming hot tea, hot Congee... Such eating habits will increase the risk of esophageal cancer. Our esophagus is very delicate, and the temperature inside the mouth and esophagus of a healthy person is usually between 36.5 ℃ and 37 ℃. The most suitable food temperature is between 10 ℃ and 40 ℃, and the highest food temperature that can be tolerated is generally between 50 ℃ and 60 ℃. When our tongue feels very hot, the temperature of food usually reaches around 70 ℃. If you are accustomed to eating hot food frequently, even if you eat very hot food, you will not be sensitive, and you will unconsciously burn the esophageal mucosa time and time again, leading to repeated burns repair burns and increasing the risk of cancer. The World Health Organization has classified hot drinks above 65 ℃ as Group 2A carcinogens. The "Screening and Early Diagnosis and Treatment Plan for Esophageal Cancer (2024 Edition)" lists people with a "hot drink and hot food" lifestyle as high-risk groups for esophageal cancer. In addition, a meta-analysis on the risk of scalding and esophageal cancer in Chinese people published in South China Preventive Medicine in June 2023 shows that the risk of esophageal cancer in Chinese people who eat hot meals is 2.43 times higher than that in non hot meals. Solution: Do not eat hot food or drink hot drinks. You can try the temperature with the back of your hand and feel that it is warm enough not to be hot. 5. Cut off the moldy fruit and continue eating it. If the fruit is a little bad and you don't want to throw it away, then cut off the bad part and continue eating. This kind of behavior is really dangerous! As long as the food becomes moldy, no matter how large the visible area is, other parts where mold cannot be seen are likely already occupied by it. An article published in the Food Safety Journal mentioned that an organization collected a total of 4 slightly rotten fruit samples in the market, including apples, peaches, grapes, and pears, and conducted microbiological and fungal toxin detection and analysis on them. It was found that when some parts of the fruit were rotten or moldy, the overall microbial contamination level of the fruit was high. Among all the samples tested, any naturally rotten fruit had coliform bacteria levels exceeding the national standard limit; The grape sample even detected zearalenone and aflatoxin B1 in the rotten parts. That is to say, once the fruit has moldy or rotten parts, the entire fruit may have been contaminated. What you eat is not only the fruit pulp and juice, but also E. coli, penicillin, aflatoxin, zearalenone, etc., which are very harmful to health. Bacteria can cause symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhea; Fungi can cause neurological and endocrine disorders, immune suppression, carcinogenic and teratogenic effects, liver and kidney damage, reproductive disorders, etc. Solution: If moldy areas are found, it is best to discard them completely! 6. Treat the refrigerator as a safe and stuff everything you buy into it, and then put many things in it for a long time. Remember, the refrigerator is not a 'safe'! Firstly, storing various foods in the refrigerator for a long time can easily cause odor and cross contamination. Secondly, refrigerating or freezing food can only slow down the growth rate of bacteria, but some microorganisms can still grow. Don't think your refrigerator is very clean, it may actually be 'particularly dirty'. A literature on the hygiene status and cleaning effectiveness evaluation of household refrigerator refrigeration compartments was published in the Chinese Journal of Food Hygiene. The investigators included 15 refrigerators that had been purchased for more than 2 years, used normally for more than 6 months, and had never been cleaned before, and investigated their hygiene conditions. The results showed that the average detection rate of Escherichia coli in the refrigerator compartment was 64.44%, the average detection rate of Staphylococcus aureus was 13.33%, and the average detection rate of Salmonella was 2.22%. In addition, there may be Listeria monocytogenes (LM) in the refrigerator, which can survive at temperatures ranging from 2 ℃ to 42 ℃, especially in low-temperature environments where it can continue to grow and reproduce. This allows it to maintain growth for a period of time even under refrigeration conditions. [12] Once a person eats food containing LM, it may cause listeriosis, which initially presents as mild flu like symptoms and can later develop into sepsis, meningitis, encephalomyelitis, spontaneous abortion, premature birth, stillbirth, etc., with a mortality rate of up to 20% to 30%. [14] Solution: Reasonably use the refrigerator and store raw and cooked separately; Don't fill it too full; Regularly inspect the refrigerator; Regularly clean the refrigerator. 7. Many families have one kitchen knife and one cutting board, and after cutting raw meat, they go on to cut vegetables, fruits, and cooked food. This method of not distinguishing between raw and cooked food can easily lead to cross contamination. The residues and bacteria on fresh food can easily contaminate other foods, leading to food poisoning. A survey was conducted on the hygiene status of household kitchens in Shanghai, and it was found that 59.7% of residents had mixed use of raw and cooked chopping boards, and 46.3% had mixed use of kitchen knives. A survey on bacterial and fungal communities and diversity in household kitchen environments, published in the Journal of Environment and Health in March 2023, collected samples from 8 locations including sinks, countertops, walls, cutting boards, knives, cabinet doors, cupboard handles, and cloths in 6 household kitchens for testing and analysis. As a result, it was found that the microbial contamination level of the cutting board was the highest, and various pathogenic bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Streptococcus pyogenes, and Aspergillus niger were detected. The reason why cutting boards are the dirtiest may be because they are prone to residual moisture and organic matter, as well as uneven knife marks on the surface, providing a suitable environment for microorganisms. Solution: Do not use the same cutting board for cutting raw meat and vegetables/cooked food to avoid cross contamination. Be sure to use them separately; Thoroughly clean after use, hang and dry to avoid bacterial growth and mold. It is best to distinguish the knives used for cutting ingredients, and avoid using the same knife for cutting raw meat and vegetables/cooked food. 8. Chopsticks are not replaced all year round. Many families have a pair of chopsticks that have been used for several years and are not replaced as long as they are not broken. However, chopsticks really need to be changed frequently! Especially for bamboo or wooden chopsticks, if the environment is humid and not thoroughly cleaned, it is easy to breed bacteria and even mold. In 2020, the Shanghai Municipal Consumer Protection Commission collected 200 pairs of old chopsticks used by ordinary households and 660 pairs of new chopsticks, including five categories of wood, bamboo, stainless steel, melamine, alloy, etc., and tested these chopsticks. [17] The results showed that among these materials of chopsticks, chopsticks that have been used for more than 6 months are more prone to mold, and the amount of mold is more than 30% higher than new chopsticks and chopsticks that have been used for 3 months; Wooden and bamboo chopsticks