Health and Fitness Tip #224 - 9 Myths About Food You Probably Think Are True

9 Myths About Food You Probably Think Are True

Some things, such as family heirlooms and old photographs, get passed down from generation to generation and are meant to be cherished. But when those things are food myths, they deserve to be downright busted. Some tales seem to be cyclical — like the one about carbs being good or evil. Or fat being good or evil. Or salt. Or there are the ones you heard as a kid and believed them to be true because a trusted adult told you as much.

Say NO to food fairytales. It’s time for some major myth-busting. Check out nine of the most irritating food and beverage lies, and find out once and for all the real truth as we dive into the facts.

Myth 1: Gum Takes 7 Years to Digest

We’ve all heard the warning that it takes seven years for gum to be digested by the human body, but it’s unclear when or how this myth got started. But you’ll be pleased to know that if you accidentally swallow chewing gum, it’ll go through the same digestion process, at the same pace, as anything else you eat: Enzymes will break down most of it, and the rest will be eliminated. So if you’re just a sporadic gum swallower, no harm, no foul.

The key here is “sporadic.” According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there have been a couple of rare cases in which young kids had intestinal distress due to blockages caused by gum, but only after regularly swallowing chewing gum over a short period of time. The bottom line: Don’t make chewing gum your entree of choice, but swallowing an occasional piece is not dangerous for healthy people.

Myth 2: Drink 8 Glasses of Water a Day

Sure, go ahead and aim to drink eight glasses of H20 every day. The zero-calorie drink quenches thirst and plays a vital role in maintaining body temperature, ridding waste and much more. But drinking eight cups of water daily is only a rough estimate, not a rule. Fluid needs vary based on age, sex, weight, activity level and climate and will vary from day to day. Plus, you can satisfy your body’s need for fluid with more than plain ol’ water.

According to the National Academies of Engineering and Sciences, most healthy people can meet daily hydration needs by letting thirst guide them. The report also provided general guidelines for women to consume about 91 ounces (roughly 11.5 cups) of total water from all beverages and foods daily. For men? Aim to drink about 125 ounces (approximately 15.5 cups) daily. If you’re eating a lot of produce, know that it has a high water content and contributes to your overall goal. So eat right and drink whenever you’re thirsty or, better yet, before you’re thirsty.

Myth 3: Cooking Veggies Destroys Nutrients

Thinking about trying the raw-food diet? It turns out that may not always be the best way to get the most from your veggies, at least from carrots and tomatoes. Not only are a significant amount of nutrients retained in veggies throughout the cooking process, in some cases cooking makes nutrients more available, not less.

A study from the National Center of Biotechnology Information suggests that steaming carrots until medium firm can increase beta carotene by 40 percent. And another study found that heating (or thermal processing) tomatoes can enhance their lycopene content. This happens because heat breaks down cellular walls that typically “trap” nutrients like beta carotene and lycopene. Bottom line? Eat cooked (think al dente, not mushy) vegetables and raw vegetables too.

Myth 4: Sulfites in Wine Cause Headaches

Is your throbbing head the result of that glass (or glasses) of wine you drank last night? While there are naturally occurring chemicals in wine associated with headaches, sulfites are not to blame. (Sulfites can trigger shortness of breath or other allergy symptoms for those sensitive to sulfites. If that’s the case, look for USDA-certified organic wines with no sulfites added (NSA); they’ll contain less than 10 parts per million of sulfites.) But if it’s an aching head that you’re complaining about, the real culprit in wine may be the tannins, which occur naturally inside grape seeds, skins and stems. Alternatively, the wine may be causing your body to release histamines, which can lead to allergy-like symptoms and headaches. And never forget that alcohol acts as a vasodilator and a natural diuretic. Mild dehydration from a night of overimbibing alcoholic beverages can trigger headaches as well.

Myth 5: Wash Chicken to Remove Bacteria

It’s probably something you saw your mom or dad do, or perhaps it was a grandma. In fact, this advice has been around for decades — rinsing chicken under running water before cooking it, that is. But this is one time you can tell grandma or your parents that they’re doing it all wrong. First, water won’t wash away bacteria; cooking chicken or other poultry to the proper internal temperature (165°F) is the only thing that gets rid of it. Second, washing off chicken can cause “bad” bacteria from uncooked poultry to splatter onto countertops and beyond. Anything that’s within three feet of the sink is fair game. This rinsing habit increases the likelihood of foodborne illness due to cross-contamination, which occurs when a ready-to-eat food comes in contact with uncooked poultry, meat or fish, for instance. Research from Drexel University supports this safer “no-rinse” approach. The school even produced a “Don’t Wash Your Chicken!” campaign.

Myth 6: Salt Is Bad for You

Salt isn’t inherently dangerous for you. In fact, it’s fundamentally good. First, know that table salt contains sodium. One teaspoon salt contains 2,300 milligrams of sodium. Your body needs sodium to manage blood volume, regulate blood pressure and maintain proper functioning of nerves and muscles. It’s vital for the human body to operate.

So why does salt get such a bad rap? The Centers or Disease Control and Prevention says Americans often consume it in excess — more than 3,400 milligrams of sodium daily. Too much sodium in a diet can contribute to high blood pressure and heighten the risk for stroke and heart disease. And according to the American Heart Association, about 70 percent of that sodium comes from processed and restaurant food. In general, the “2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans” recommends consuming less than 2,300 milligrams of sodium per day. So salt isn’t bad for you — but too much salt can be.

Myth 7: Fruit Juice Is Sugar Water

Fruit punch and other fruity drinks are most often glorified water with artificial fruit-like colors, flavors and added sugars. Sometimes they’re completely free of fruit. Fortunately, 100 percent real fruit juice contains just the fruit and nothing but the fruit! For the full health benefits, choose 100 percent real fruit juice and not something with labeling lingo like “contains 5 percent fruit juice.”

While eating whole fruit is the number-one choice recommended by nutrition professionals, drinking 100 percent fruit juice counts as a fruit serving too. What you may not know is that some companies process the whole fruit into juice, so you get benefits from the fruit peels as well. For instance, there’s a significant amount of hesperidin in 100 percent orange juice. Hesperidin is a powerful polyphenol found in high levels in orange peels and membranes; it offers potential heart health and cognitive benefits.

Myth 8: Avoid Eating Egg Yolks

Eating the egg white without the yolk is like wearing pants but forgetting your top — it’s rather incomplete. Why eat the whole egg? You get high-quality protein in egg whites; but, you’ll get several heart-friendly nutrients in the yolk, such as choline, lutein, zeaxanthin, omega-3s and even a little more protein. And, yes, you do get cholesterol just in the yolk. But according to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, cholesterol from food has no appreciable impact on LDL (“bad”) blood cholesterol; saturated and trans fat in the diet can have an impact. In fact, there’s no longer a dietary cholesterol limit of 300 milligrams per day in the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. High blood cholesterol is often associated with “bad” genes coupled with lifestyle factors like unhealthful eating patterns, lack of exercise, smoking or excess body weight.

Myth 9: Celery Is a “Negative-Calorie” Food

First of all, many people think that celery has "negative" calories. But according to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), one large (11- to 12-inch) celery stalk provides 9 calories. If you factor in the calories burned due to the entire digestive process, that stalk may provide closer to 8 calories. But that still doesn’t mean celery has “negative” or even zero calories. What's more, since celery is also light in color and flavor, some assume there's little nutritional benefit. While celery is no kale, it's no joke when it comes to your health. That large stalk provides 166 milligrams of potassium, which makes it a nutrient-dense source of this mineral that's so important for blood pressure management. Plus, it contains a flavonoid called apigenin, which research finds may act as an anti-inflammatory and have potential anti-cancer properties. That stalk provides plenty of chewing satisfaction along with dietary fiber, too.