As a child, our parents told us a variety of stories to keep us from eating certain foods. For example, the most common stories always revolved around monsters coming to get us if we ate too many chocolates or didn’t brush our teeth at night. Of course, these were stories and hardly close to the truth.
Take the statement – frozen yogurt is better than ice creams or that a glass of wine a day is great for your health. You have heard these from friends and family alike, or reached the conclusion on your own somehow. You continue to believe these statements and make the switch, assuming that your health is just getting better. But on the contrary, they’re actually untrue.
Baffling right? Busting food myths is important, but can be quite tricky owing to the number of contradictory studies. People will always have some form of advice and it’s best if you do your own research into such myths. Below we give you a list of very common food myths that you might have thought are true.
MYTH: A Glass Of Wine Every Day Is Good For Your Health
You’ve definitely heard of this statement and you might be one of those individuals who also drinks a glass of wine with some meal daily. If you live in a colder country, a glass of warm wine with your meals can make the entire menu more appetizing. Red wine specifically has a large number of antioxidant polyphenols which can help protect you against cancer and other heart-related ailments.
However, a glass of wine daily does more harm than good. You might already know that consuming alcohol on a daily basis can cause great damage to your liver. On those lines, wine has the same effect on your liver if consumed daily. At the same time, high consumption also reduces your body’s ability to absorb folic acid, which in turn increases the risk of breast cancer in women. What is folic acid you ask? It’s a B-vitamin that has numerous anti-cancer properties.
Informative: 10 Health Benefits of Wine
MYTH: Frozen Yogurt Is Healthier As Compared To Ice Cream
You read that right. Have you been keeping away from ice cream and reaching for frozen yogurts instead because you’ve heard that it’s healthier? Even though frozen yogurt might have a lower fat content as compared to icecreams, they aren’t necessarily the healthier alternative. This is because frozen yogurts usually have high amounts of sugar, which are sometimes equivalent to the amount of sugar ice creams have. It doesn’t end here, a tub of frozen yogurt also has a lower amount of probiotics as compared to a tub of plain yogurt.
If you want to opt for something that’s actually healthier, you can eat natural low-fat yogurt instead. However, don’t top it with an assortment of chocolate chips or flavored syrups, because they are extremely high in sugar and defeat the purpose entirely. You might as well eat some ice cream instead!
MYTH: Fresh Food Is Better Than Canned Or Preserved Food
Didn’t expect that to be untrue? Well, it is in most situations. Food that is frozen or processed right after a harvest retains its nutrients and antioxidants. On the other hand, food that is fresh has a higher chance of losing its nutrients if it’s not stored properly.
Additionally, the process of canning is known to increase lycopene, a very powerful antioxidant. Lycopene is also known to reduce the risks of prostate cancer. However, you must note that no matter how convenient and nutrient-dense canned food can be, it can have low levels of vitamin C too.
Related: Canned Food Can Be Tasty Too!
MYTH: Sea Salt Or Kosher Salt Is Better Than Refined Salts
Your mum or an aunt has definitely mentioned this sometime in your life and you’ve grown to believe it. Sea salt and other fancy salts are better and healthier than refined salts. On the contrary, both contain the same amount of sodium and have the same nutritional value. Shocking right?
Even Kosher salt for that matter has the same as your regular table salt. The only difference lies in their textures and how they’re produced.
MYTH: Skins Of Foods Do Not Have Any Nutritional Value And Should Be Removed
We always have a tendency to remove the skin of fruits like apples, or vegetables like potatoes before we consume them. That’s common knowledge, right? However, this defeats the purpose, as the skins of these foods contain an extremely high amount of fiber that aids with digestion.
Similarly, these edible peels are also packed with nutrients, minerals, and phytochemicals. You might be surprised to know that the peels of lemons, oranges, and grapes also have a high amount of vitamin C. So don’t throw these peels away! Just wash it clean to remove all dirt.
MYTH: Brown Sugar Is Better Than White Sugar And Agave Is Better Than Honey
How many times have you heard these statements and believed them? How many times have you actually made the switch? Because we definitely have! But we were mind blown when we found out that it was completely untrue. They’re all a type of sugar which means that at the end, they all are turned into glucose, and will be utilized for energy.
Both these sugars are no better than white sugar and have the same amount of carbohydrates. The only differences you might notice will have to do with coloring or impurities, which will be minor. What you can do is read the packaging for the content list prior to buying any of these foods.
Also Read: Different Types of Sweeteners and Their Uses| Foods That Are Hard For Us To Digest
Conclusion
Is this better or that? This question roams around rent-free in our heads. We hope that by busting the above myths, we’ve given you a few insights that you might not have known before. We suggest you do your own fact checks when you hear of statements that deem one type of food better than the other.
Related: Healthy Carbs, Yes They Exist!
