Anyone who wants to have a healthy relationship with food understands how difficult it can be. From reading through social media to turning through the pages of our favorite publications, we are constantly bombarded with diet and nutrition information. We are bombarded with information regarding “good” and “bad” food, including erroneous maxims that we accept without question. It’s no surprise that grasping the complexities of this subject makes our heads spin.
There are numerous food misconceptions circulating today, and with the growth of the internet, they are spreading and being repeated quicker than ever. That’s why we set out to dispel some of the most common food myths. Don’t believe everything you read or see online.
Common knowledge is an odd concept: it expresses the consensus view on a certain topic and somehow establishes that opinion as truth. Regardless of whether it is real or not, if that “fact” is not contested and uncontested, it is handed down and kept from one generation to the next.
Today, we find a lot of old common knowledge to be amusing. We are aware that humor and bile do not determine our health, and that electric fans will not kill us while we are asleep. But despite scientific proof to the contrary, food myths continue to circulate. This is probably due to how important food is to our pleasure and health in our daily lives.
Seven of the most prevalent healthy eating myths that just won’t go away are listed below:
Even though foods like avocados, walnuts, olive oil, and other healthy fats are full of advantages for the body, there is still this strange concern that consuming fat will make you gain weight, even though this is complete fiction.
This myth has long been disproven. Healthy fats are an essential component of every diet, and they do not cause weight gain. The interchangeability of “fat” as a macronutrient and “fat” as a physiological condition contributes to some misunderstandings. If you choose to consume the right sort of dietary fats in suitable quantities, you should be fine—and you’ll still be able to eat your favorite foods.
The terms “multigrain” and “whole grain” have various meanings and must be distinguished. Foods branded multigrain contain more than one type of grain, whereas whole grain goods contain the full grain (the names are pretty accurate descriptors). Multigrain meals have a fuller texture and flavor, but whole grain foods have more fiber and natural sources of nutrients; therefore, selecting between the two is a question of personal preference.
Microwave detractors have long claimed that zapping your food makes it less healthful. But nothing could be farther from the truth than this. Microwaving is one of the healthiest meal preparation techniques, especially if you add little water to the dish, cover it loosely, and use the microwave to steam your vegetables.
The greatest cooking methods for preserving nutrients in your food involve exposing the food to heat for a brief period, using small quantities of water when steaming, and heating the food quickly—all of which can be accomplished with a microwave. As a result, steaming your food in the microwave retains more vitamins and minerals than practically any other cooking method.
Accidentally swallowing your gum is likely to have driven you into panic mode as a child and as an adult. It’s often assumed that it takes seven years to digest, however, this is simply not true. Gum doesn’t get special attention in your digestive system; it travels in and out in the same manner as other foods. The main fault of this food myth is that it fails to disclose one critical point: gum takes a long time to biodegrade when discarded in the garbage or dumped on the ground.
To lengthen the shelf life of food and inhibit bacterial development, preservatives are added. They are a crucial component of the food we buy at the supermarket, as it would not make it from the farm to the shop without deteriorating. While some people are allergic to preservatives like sulfite and benzoic acid, people have been ingesting these molecules for millennia, from both natural and manufactured sources, with considerable benefits to food quality, availability, and safety.
Synthetic and natural preservatives should not be used excessively, as is the case with other substances we employ to enhance our quality of life, since this might have negative health repercussions, for example, too much natural vitamin E may inhibit blood clotting, leading to bleeding. Regulatory organizations from all over the globe have recommendations available to help food makers make sure the quantity of preservatives—natural or artificial—used in food is safe.
When it comes to water, everyone follows the same common rule: drink eight glasses every day to keep healthy and hydrated. The odd thing is, that number has been around forever, but you don’t have to follow it to receive all the fluids your body requires. Proper intake is more about you as a person than a set number: People should drink according to their age, geography, and health, with part of those fluids coming from meals.
Long juice cleanses are not only harmful, but they also do not remove nonspecific “toxins” from your body. Toxins do exist—doctors admit that some items can hurt the body—but fad juice diets aren’t the best method to counteract them. The majority of the hard lifting is done by your liver, which processes substances that might be harmful like alcohol. Anything high in fruit and vegetables can be beneficial to one’s health, but a smoothie is far superior to juice. Why? It keeps the fiber in the product and makes you feel fuller for longer.
Myths about food may be troublesome. Based on inaccurate information, they urge individuals to make bad decisions. Every time you hear about a new food trend or suggestion, make sure it is reliable by doing some research beforehand.
