Category Archives: Food Myths

The Definition of Kosher Myth: Blessed By A Rabbi

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Kosher, the Jewish law that governs acceptably “clean” food, is a tradition that stretches back for thousands of years. Kosher food satisfies the requirements of Jewish law. There are specific rules that regulate different food groups and are usually concerned with how a food is produced or restrictions on certain food groups. For example, the Torah (Jewish holy book) states that only cattle and game with “cloven hooves” that “chew the cud” may be eaten. Similarly, kosher dairy must be taken from kosher animals.

The Definition of Kosher Myth

One common myth about kosher is that the term means “blessed by a rabbi.” This is a myth that has mostly been perpetrated by people who don’t have any understanding of keeping kosher or who haven’t been exposed to all the components of Jewish faith. According to OU Kosher, kosher actually means “proper” or “acceptable”. When a food is fit to be considered kosher, it means that it has been produced with all kosher ingredients and kosher equipment. Kosher means that food conforms to ancient Jewish law that have been in practice for thousands of years.

Other Kosher Myths

Keeping kosher is often misunderstood in other ways. For example, one common myth is that if a food is all-natural or unprocessed, it is automatically considered kosher. However, this is not the case. Even all natural fruit, meat, dairy, and vegetables have to meet certain restrictions to be considered kosher. And though such strict restrictions and traditions might lead you to believe that kosher food is healthier, that is not necessarily the case. Kosher standards are more concerned with the way a food was prepared than with the food’s nutrition data.

Learning about keeping kosher is a great way to learn more about the Jewish faith and Jewish traditions.

Source:

  • “What is Kosher?” OUKosher.org

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Requirement of Water Myth: Drink 8 Glasses Per Day

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The human body is about 60% water. Humans have been known to live without food for over a month, but after 3 to 5 days without water, you’re risking your life. Water is incredibly important, so that must mean that the more water you drink, the better, right? Not necessarily.

We often hear that everyone should be drinking about eight glasses of water a day. The fact is, there is no magic number when it comes to how much water per day you should drink. Every person needs a different amount of water based on body size, activity level, and environmental factors. Further, NPR says that drinking large amounts of water can actually negatively affect the kidney’s ability to filter out toxins.

Why Do We Need To Drink Water?

Water is essential to every single system in the body. Water keeps cells, joints, muscles, and organs protected and cushioned. Blood depends on healthy levels of water to move oxygen to all the cells of the body. Water also flushes out toxins, and keeps wastes moving from the body. Without water, the body becomes dehydrated, a condition that can go from mild to severe very quickly. Water also helps cool the body when exercising or when exposed to extreme heat. Drinking water helps replenish the body’s stores that are lost by sweating; without it, you risk both dangerous dehydration and heat stroke.

Daily Requirements Of Water

Your personal requirement of water is going to depend on a few different factors.  But there are a few things to consider when trying to determine your requirement of water. First of all,  men usually need more water than women. In a temperate climate, on average men should drink about 3 liters of total beverage per day, while the average for women is 2.2 liters. If you are exercising or participating in anything else that makes you perspire, you will need to drink more water. An extra 1.5 to 2.5 cups of water should suffice for exercise that lasts under an hour. More exercise means a higher requirement of water. Hot weather and higher altitudes are dehydrating as well, so take care to drink more water in either of these environments. Also keep in mind that all beverages count toward your daily water requirement, so go ahead and count milk, sports drinks, and fresh fruit juice in your water totals.

When it comes to drinking enough water, make sure to listen to your body. Humans have a great built in sensor that tells us when we need to get some water: thirst!

Source:

“Five Myths About Drinking Water”, NPR

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High Protein Levels Myth: The More The Better

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People who are trying to build muscle and bulk up treat protein like it is their secret weapon. These athletes may start at the morning with an egg, enjoy a protein shake after their workout, have some salted chicken breast for lunch, then round out the day with a steak for dinner. Is it really necessary to eat this much protein if you want to build muscle?

The Sydney Morning Herald reports that overloading on protein is wasting their money, and it that high protein levels can even lead to strain on the kidneys. Additionally, the Herald says that adding considerable amounts of extra protein to your diet is only advisable in times of high physical stress, like running a marathon or undertaking an extreme weight lifting routine. And even in these strenuous times, a diet with extremely high protein levels should only be followed for two to four weeks at most.

High Protein Levels And Your Kidneys

Our kidneys are designed to filter waste from the bloodstream. When someone doses up on high protein levels, the kidneys are tasked with removing all the excess proteins in the blood. On average, the kidneys remove about 2 quarts of waste product per day, most of which is the waste byproduct of protein synthesis called urea. An extremely elevated protein level in blood leads to excess urea, which means excess work for the kidneys. While the occasional strain on any healthy organ is not likely to do any lasting damage, people who already have decreased kidney function may find themselves in trouble. An appropriate amount of protein is .36 gram per pound of bodyweight, unless you are engaged in very strenuous weight lifting or exercise. In this case, your protein needs may swell to .73 gram to .82 gram per day. No matter what, protein consumption shouldn’t exceed .91 gram or you will begin to risk kidney stress or weight gain.

If you’re eating a lot of protein to bulk up or are following the Atkins diet, make sure to keep your protein levels under check. No amount of muscle is worth harming your body.

Source:

  • “The high-protein myth”, The Sydney Morning Herald

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Effects of MSG Myth: Dangerous Additive

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MSG, or monosodium glutamate, has been a controversial chemical for decades. Perhaps you’ve heard stories about negative reactions like heart palpitations or chest pain, or seen a sign at your favorite Chinese restaurant that say “NO MSG”. Maybe you’ve read that MSG is insidious, and can actually increase your appetite and override your natural satiation response.

So when it comes to MSG, what is fact, and what is fiction? And if it really has such negative effects, how can it be legal and commonly used in restaurants and food products all across the country? Here is the inside scoop on MSG:

The Effects of MSG: The Whole Story

Monosodium glutamate is basically the laboratory created version of glutamate, a chemical that is created naturally in the human body. It was created to mimic the basic food flavor “umami”, the Japanese word for savory or “deliciousness”. This flavor describes the essence of the tastes of tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, and meat. A Japanese researcher isolated the glutamic acid, the chemical responsible for this flavor and an amino acid in our bodies. The protein was then broken down by either fermentation, ripening, or cooking, and became glutamate. Salt was added to stabilize the compound, thus becoming monosodium glutamate.

Owing to several cultural factors and no doubt taking these close ties to a naturally occurring substance into account, much of the MSG hysteria that eventually came to sweep the Western world was largely ignored in Asia. Glutamate is found naturally in many foods, including mother’s milk. So when anecdotes of people getting headaches, palpitations, flushing, and sweating from eating Chinese food starting popping up, science explored the effect of MSG heavily, only to come up with no reason to suspect any harmful potential.

However, public opinion of the chemical is still very negative. And researchers do concede that some people may exhibit short term MSG sensitivity. But still, Mayo Clinic reports that though the FDA has been receiving anecdotal evidence of negative effects of MSG, researchers have yet to prove a link exists.

If you are still worried that MSG will negatively affect your healthy meal plan, your best bet is to stay away from processed foods and concentrate on whole, natural food. But until science says otherwise, this common food additive is likely nothing to worry about.

Sources:

  • “If MSG is so bad for you, why doesn’t everyone in Asia have a headache”, The Observer
  • “What is MSG? Is it bad for you?”, Mayo Clinic

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Regular Milk Myth: Skim Milk Is Healthier

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It seems like common sense: if you’re trying to get healthy and lose weight but you love milk and dairy benefits like strong bones are important to you, you should choose skim over reduced fat or whole regular milk. But could there be more to this issue than meets the eye?

MSNBC reports that one study in 2005 studied the correlation between milk and weight and found some remarkable results. Researchers expected to find that consumption of dairy fat was correlated to weight gain, so they were surprised to  find that in a study of almost 13,000 kids aged 9 to 14, skim and 1% milk were related to weight gain, while whole milk was not.

Regular Milk vs. Skim Milk

MSNBC goes on to posit that when it comes to losing weight, cutting fat might not be the real solution. When someone eats a food that is rich in fat, a hormone called cholecystokinin is released. This chemical signals to your body that you are becoming full. Using this evidence, it is possible that full fat regular milk can actually curb the appetite. Even when it comes to heart health, the evidence is on the side of milk fat. While dairy fat has been shown to raise cholesterol, it is not the harmful LDL type, but rather the benign LDL cholesterol that is impacted.

The Benefits of Drinking Milk

Drinking milk is healthy no matter if you are drinking regular milk or skim. WebMD even reports that one study showed that women who drank milk after a workout lost more fat and gained more muscle than women who drank energy drinks. And of course milk is also packed with essential nutrients like calcium, protein, and Vitamin D.

When it comes to choosing the right milk to drink, remember that the choice is not always so simple. It just might be that regular milk is the superior option.

Source:

  • “Is Skim Milk Making You Fat?”, MSNBC

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Nutrition in Seafood Myth: Fish Oil and Mercury Poisoning?

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Fish is health food favorite, and is often recommended as a great source of lean protein. But there have been some concerns surrounding the safety of fish and fish oil. Nearly every fish contains some level of mercury, a naturally occurring element that can be dangerous in high doses.

So are you risking mercury poisoning by taking fish oil daily? Probably not. According to The Arch Pathol Lab, fish oil may be a safer way to get all the health benefits of fish. Because fish oil is made from fish that don’t contain much mercury like herring, tuna, halibut, salmon, mackerel, and cod liver, these supplements contain much less mercury than high risk fish like shark and swordfish.

The Safe Way To Benefit From The Nutrition In Seafood

One study conducted by the Environmental Defense Fund found that all of the different fish oil companies they were able to reach reported that they followed strict purification methods. These methods include steam deodorization and molecular distillation to remove pollutants from the healthy omega-3 fatty acids that compose healthy fish oil. When oils goes through this stringent purification processes, the FDA says that 3 grams of fish oil per day is generally regarded as safe.

The Benefits of Seafood

When it comes to the nutrition in seafood, most of the benefits come from the high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. These acids reduce swelling, pain, and prevent the blood from clotting too easily. Fish oil is often used to lower blood pressure and has been linked to the prevention of stroke and heart disease when taken correctly. Fish oil has also been linked to brain health, and is often taken for conditions like Alzheimer’s, depression, psychosis, and attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Every health supplement will have side effects to consider. If you are interested in incorporating the nutrition from seafood into your healthy eating plan using fish oil, the best course of action is to talk to your doctor first.

Sources:

  • “Measurement of mercury levels in concentrated over-thecounter fish oil preparations: is fish oil healthier than fish?”, Arch Pathol Lab Med
  • “Fish oil”, U.S. National Library of Medicine
  • “Fish Oil”, WebMD

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Craving For Salt Myth: Wanting Salt Only Means Sodium Deficiency

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Our bodies have strange ways of telling us what we need. If we lack for a certain vitamin, we may became irritable, fatigued, or pale. If we are dehydrated and need some water, it often manifests in nausea and headaches. So what does a strange persistent craving for salt mean?

The Health Alliance Plan of Michigan says that craving salt usually does not indicate a sodium deficiency, especially in light of the fact that most Americans eat twice the recommended amount of sodium. In fact, a food craving rarely means much of anything except for a desire for a certain food. However, there are a few cases where a craving for salt in particular can have a greater meaning.

The Science Behind Salt Cravings And What They Mean

The first thing to understand about salt cravings is that they are evolutionarily based. Salt is an essential nutrient. Our bodies need it to promote fluid retention and stay hydrated. Salt used to be hard to find, so our taste buds became hard-wired to enjoy the taste of it. Because humans enjoy salt so much, it has become an extremely popular ingredient in many foods, and we in turn crave salt much like we would crave sugar, ice cream, or pizza. Basically, it tastes good, so we want to eat it.

Medical Conditions And A Craving For Salt

There are instances when a craving for salt transcends mere desire and may indicate a hormonal imbalance. Addison’s Disease, a serious condition that results from an overstressed adrenal gland, often manifests as an excessive salt craving that won’t be satisfied. Salt cravings are not the only symptom of this condition, however. Sufferers will also exhibit fatigue, muscle weakness, and weight loss which may progress to vomiting, diarrhea, low back pain, and eventually unconsciousness. Bartter syndrome is another possible cause of salt craving, though it is rare. And of course, sometimes a craving for salt does indicate low sodium levels. This is less common for most people following a standard Western diet, as most of us are in a state of chronic sodium overload. As salt is an electrolyte, it’s also possible that a salt craving indicates dehydration. In this case, opt for a electrolyte boosting sports drink over a salty snack.

Unless your craving for salt seems excessive, persistent, troubling, or as the byproduct of intense exercise or sweating, then you are likely craving salt simply because it tastes good.

Sources:

  • “Salt craving: A symptom of Addison’s disease?”, Mayo Clinic
  • “Salt craving: the psychobiology of pathogenic sodium intake”, Physiol Behav
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Food That Is High In Calories Myth: Splurges Are Never Okay

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We’ve all been there. You’re striving to lose weight and doing a great job with diet and exercise. You are cutting calories, hitting the gym regularly, and feeling good about your progress. But then something happens. You have a bad day at the office, you’re out at lunch with friends, or you’re attending a child’s birthday party, and you splurge on food that is high in calories. Too often this can feel like such a huge failure that you’re tempted to just give up on dieting all together.

But one slip up doesn’t mean that all your hard work was for nothing. In fact, denying yourself splurges can actually be detrimental to your diet goals. If you think that one splurge equals failure, than you will be more likely to throw in the towel after just one incident. The University of Rochester says that setting unrealistic goals or getting discouraged by one slip up often fouls up diets. In reality, it is just fine to occasionally splurge on a treat.

Though our bodies are certainly very sophisticated, research has suggested that the body’s feedback system of total calories in and total calories out isn’t exactly precise. WebMD reports this means that weight will remain stable even if food intake is altered by plus or minus 600 calories on any given day. What really makes a difference as far as weight loss goes is a sustained trend in either direction. This means that the occasional food that is high in calories won’t sabotage your diet, as long as you don’t make a habit out of it. Additionally, research has shown that most healthy people have their own simple system of keeping their calorie levels balanced: if they splurge at lunch, they’ll compensate by under-eating later.

The best way to succeed at a diet is to keep realistic goals and allow yourself to make mistakes without throwing in the towel. If that means eating the occasional food that is high in calories as a part of your regularly balanced diet, then that’s okay.

Sources:

  • “High-Calorie Splurging Won’t Ruin Your Diet”, WebMD
  • “Ignore These Diet ‘Rules’”, University of Rochester Medical Center

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Food Spoilage Myth: No Hot Foods in the Refrigerator

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How long do you wait before putting hot prepared food in the fridge? If you’re like many people, you wait until the food has sufficiently cooled, cover it, then set it in the fridge to cool down. This habit might be due to an old food myth: putting hot food in the refrigerator will cause it to spoil.

The Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation Program says that this myth isn’t just wrong, it is straight up contradictory. It is perfectly safe to put hot food into the refrigerator; it is keeping it out at room temperature that is unsafe.

Food Spoilage Danger Zone

The USDA says that the food “Danger Zone” is between 40 degrees and 140 degrees Fahrenheit. While in this zone, the bacteria in food grows at a rapid pace, sometimes doubling in just 20 minutes. This means that when a hot meal is allowed to cool down before being refrigerated, it spends much more time in the Danger Zone and is therefore much more susceptible to food spoilage by bacteria. Food should never be allowed to remain unrefrigerated for more than two hours, and if temperatures exceed 90 degrees Fahrenheit, that time limit drops to one hour.

Minimize Food Spoilage Risk

The real drawback to immediately refrigerating hot food is that it puts strain on your refrigerator. A hot meal inside the fridge means the icebox must work harder to keep the temperature down. One way to reduce strain on your appliance while avoiding the Danger Zone is to use an ice bath. Place your food container in a larger container filled with ice and stir. This method will also quickly cool down food, which will minimize spoilage bacteria. Shallow containers are also recommended. You can also try dividing large items into smaller portions to speed up cooling time, or even freeze your leftovers.

All food naturally has bacteria, and that is okay. Some foods are even rich in good bacteria, like those found in probiotics like yogurt or kefir. But many food borne bacteria like salmonella and E. coli can be very dangerous. Minimize your risk by avoiding the food Danger Zone, and keep your family healthy!

 Sources:

  • “How Temperature Affects Food”, USDA
  • “Food Myths”, Alaska Food Safety and Sanitation Program

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Food Cutting Myth: Wooden Cutting Boards Are Dangerous

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Many people think that using a wooden cutting board for food cutting in the kitchen is dangerous, especially for cutting meat. But The Iowa Department of Public Health says that no matter what a food cutting board is made from, it can harbor harmful bacteria. This means that cutting boards made from wood, plastic, glass, or granite can all be unsafe if not sanitized properly. However, keeping your cutting board safe and sanitary is easy.

Keeping Your Food Cutting Board Safe

When it comes to keeping a safe, sanitary kitchen, the first step is simple: clean! Depending on the material of your cutting board (wood laminate food cutting boards shouldn’t go in the dishwater because they will degrade, but hardwood, sealed granite, solid plastic, and tempered glass are all okay) you will either run your cutting board through the dishwater or clean your board by hand with soap and hot running water. Especially if you are hand-washing your board, take care to dry it off with a paper towel. A damp board is prime real estate for bacteria. And if you want to be extra careful about cross contamination from meat to produce, consider using two different boards to cut food on. Select one for meat, and the other for fruits and vegetables.

The Mandoline Slicer

Don’t forget to consider the mandoline slicer as an alternative to boards for food cutting. These handy gadgets are great for slicing vegetables and fruits, and can save a lot of time. A mandoline does have its own set of safety concerns that are important to pay attention to, however. A food holder, hand guard, or safety glove is often recommended when cutting food, and special care should be taken when cleaning a mandoline. The blade should be handled very carefully and never directly cleaned with your fingers. Always clean the mandoline after each use.

With a little bit of common sense and the right tools, keeping your cutting boards clean and safe is easy. And now that you don’t have to worry about your cutting boards you can dedicate your time to learning some new cutting techniques and trying out new simple food recipes!

Source:

  • “Home Food Safety MythBusters”, Iowa Department of Public Health

Get more tools for planning healthy meals here.