5 common food myths busted
At a certain point, you can hear something so often that it is assumed to be true. But how many common food “truisms” are actually myths? We explore some of the most frequently believed below.
Coffee makes you dehydrated
False: As coffee is largely water, for those who have their caffeine fix daily, you’re unlikely to see dehydration as a result. However, large amounts of caffeine (over 500mg per day) can act as a diuretic, making your body produce increased amounts of urine, though this won’t result from moderate amounts of caffeine ingestion.
An apple a day still keeps the doctor away
False: Today’s apples aren’t nearly as nutritious as those found in the 40s, containing three time less iron as they once did, due to reused soil resulting from a lack of sufficient crop rotation.
Onions stored in the fridge won’t make you cry
True: When you store onions in the fridge, they produce less propanthial S-oxide, the irritant that causes the eye to water.
Gum stays in your stomach for years
False: Most gum leaves the body fairly quickly as do other foods, though it does so mostly undigested. The only time you have to worry is if your gum swallowing is plentiful, prolonged, and habitual, at which point there have been documented cases of gum building up in one’s stomach over many years, causing stomach pain.
You can save mouldy cheese
True: It is generally not a safety hazard to cut mould off of harder cheese in order to save the remains due to its density and relative lack of moisture. However, foods such as bread, fruit, and softer cheeses should be thrown out at the first sign of mould.
Image: Shutterstock