Various myths and beliefs are surrounding food even in our modern age as they were centuries back. Even scientific proof sometimes fails to dispel them…
Food myths have been there across all cultures, races, and societies. They are like a part of folklore. Some originated as an attempt to prevent children from doing something, like swallowing a chewing gum or eating fruits along with seeds. The majority of modern food myths are connected to numerous diets, weight loss programs, as well as marketing all sorts of slimming food supplements and other products. In spite of the scientific researches and proofs, these myths still persist, producing a lot of confusion.
Some of the most popular are:
• Fiber is healthy, therefore the more the better.
While the first part is truth, too high fiber intake can slow down digestion significantly. Even your normal fiber portion takes up to 40 hours to be digested, and for people with digestive disorders, the process can take as long as a few days!
• Multigrain is the synonym of whole grain.
The only way to ensure that your multigrain product is actually whole grain is to check the label, where it should be clearly stated that it is 100% whole grain. This means, every grain component must be whole grain.
• Whole grain cereals are the healthiest option.
They may be, provided whole grain is the main component. However, in most so-called whole grain cereals, the content of whole grains is ridiculously low, while sugar, salt and/or fat are too high.
• Bananas contain a lot of calories.
An average banana has around 100 calories, which is very low if you consider the fruit’s ability to fill you quickly. In fact, bananas are a perfect slimming diet food choice, because of their zero fat content and lots of essential nutrients.
• Fresh food is always better than frozen.
Of course, it is better if it is really fresh. But what you get in your grocery store may only seem fresh thanks to careful storage and preserving chemicals. Some of the so-called “fresh” foods may be weeks and even months old and have little nutritional value. Fresh frozen foods are often frozen when really fresh, just hours after harvesting. In this case, they still contain all the original nutrients of fresh fruits and vegetables.
• Organically grown food is more nutritious.
Nutrients don’t depend on the way the food was grown. Organic foods are definitely a healthier choice due to fewer chemicals contained in them, but traditionally grown fruits and veggies have the equal amount of vitamins.
• Olive oil is lower in calories.
The calorie density of olive oil is practically the same as in any other fat. The reason why olive oil is used in diets is because it is a “good” monounsaturated fat as opposed to saturated fat and trans fat.
• Vegetarian dishes are healthier than meat courses.
Not necessarily so: a vegetarian dish can still contain lots of fat, sugar, salt and other additives, while plain lean meat or skinless chicken cooked with minimum fat is low calorie and far healthier. Fish is another fantastic non-vegetarian example. But if you make your vegetarian dishes from scratch like these crock pot vegetarian recipes, then you know exactly what they contain.
• Dairy makes your cold worse.
Flu and running nose have nothing to do with dairy products. They don’t increase the mucus production in the body. On the contrary, warm milk can actually relieve sore throat and cough.
If you eat a healthy wide range of home cooked meals you can’t go wrong. The best way to cook at home is to cook from scratch and the easiest way to do this is with the good old crock pot and these easy crock pot recipes.