Generally, eating cold food is not considered unhealthy provided the meal was prepared, handled, and stored properly.
However, eating undercooked or spoiled foods can be a serious health risk.
Many people will also agree that food tastes better warm than cold. So, is eating cold food bad for you?
Nutritionists say there can be many negative side effects that come along with eating cold foods due to an increase in dampness and phlegm.
They argue that eating cold food could lead to indigestion since such foods can be difficult to digest.
They say a lot of energy is needed to digest cold foods since the digestive system must work extra hard to bring the cold foods up to the appropriate temperature.
Gut bacteria and enzymes are not very good at digesting cold foods, they say.
A renowned clinical nutritionist from Nigeria Oladimeji Okunola says once you cook and you allow the food to get cold, there is a change in the composition of the food, especially carbohydrates.
"The lower temperature also affects the flavour of the food," he said in one of his posts.
He argues that some carbohydrates when hot, increase in quality but it lessens when they become cold.
“Eating cold food could be advantageous to those that are diabetic but for those who don’t have any medical condition, the consumption of cold food is not the best,” he says.
Okunola warns that when you allow your food to get cold, there is a likelihood of bacteria thriving on the meal which could lead to food poisoning.
He also says that eating food with cold drinks makes digestion process slower.
Some experts have also warned that eating too many cold foods could lead to reproductive issues in women.
They argue that without an appropriate number of warm foods, women may experience menstrual cramps and irregular periods.
They say coldness can cause blood stagnation, which can lead to endometriosis, cysts, and uterine fibroids.
Nutritionists also warn against the habit of eating cold food from the refrigerator.
The reason is that although the low temperature may slow down the bacteria growth, it in no way stops them from growing.
Experts also warn that eating food stored in the refrigerator for more than four days could cause food poisoning or indigestion.
The process of refrigeration causes the loss of essential nutrients from the food. It does prolong the shelf life of the food, but these cold foods leave one with a low nutrient intake which deteriorates health in the long run.
