Food Myths

Food Myths: True or False

It’s impossible to tell just how, why or food myths originated.  They do seem to stick around for a long time. When it comes to discerning fact from fiction, it’s not always wise to listen to what your mother and grandmother have said.

Here are a few favorite food myths. Which ones have you believed?

Frozen vegetables are less nutritious that fresh vegetables.
This is true only if you live on a farm or have your own garden and can cook your vegetables within several hours of picking them.  The nutrient levels in vegetables drop when stored and shipped. If you add on the number of days they sit in your fridge, you could be losing much of their health benefits. Frozen vegetables are flash frozen immediately when picked, so they retain most of their nutrients.

Carob is healthier than chocolate.
Carob and chocolate contain about equal amounts of fat and calories. There is, however, no caffeine in carob.

Liver is very nutritious.
Liver, while it does contain lots of vitamins, minerals and protein, also contains a lot of fat and cholesterol. In addition liver also accumulates hazardous amounts of chemicals and hormones fed to cattle in their fodder.

Healthier foods are more expensive than other foods.
While it may be true of some products and ingredients, it is not true of most others. Vegetables and produce purchased in season can be very cost effective as well as buying healthy products in bulk and storing or freezing them. Also, many of the over-processed and frozen meals on supermarket shelves are far more expensive than even going organic.

Foods sweetened with fruit juice are more nutritious than those sweetened with sugar.
Fruit juice is no more nutritious than sugar as the vitamins from the fruit are negligible. Your body does not discern the difference between regular sugar and the highly processed fruit juice concentrate that many health foods use to sweeten their products.

Margarine is healthier than butter.
Margarine actually contains harmful fats that can increase cholesterol levels. Butter is the healthier option, used in moderation.

Vitamin C helps fight off colds.
Studies have not found any evidence to back this claim up. Vitamin C is a healthy nutrient and can reduce the risk of cancer.

Eggs contain way too much cholesterol.
While eggs do contain cholesterol, having three eggs per week will not adversely affect you. The cholesterol in eggs are found in the yolk, so you can have as many egg white omelets are you please.

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