You were wrong about your food.

In all my years of travel and exploration, I have finally found my one true love, food. Imagine sitting on a round table surrounded by people you have never come across before. Just as the food starts piping in, one or the other person from the table speaks up, and voila, they are bound to break the ice by commenting on the food. It is safe to assume that food is what connects people, irrespective of their native lands and origins. In my opinion, even the differences people find in their cuisines brings them together.

That being said, I remember my childhood when my mum used to refrain me from eating certain things in succession because they would ostensibly cause my body functions to go bonkers. As I grew up, these restrictions relating to a plethora of edibles increased.

Surprisingly, individuals believed a certain word of mouth to be true and followed it without ever gaining a substantial verification about it.

Now that I have a platform to quash myths on diverse themes, why not free my love from the barriers of misconceptions people have conveniently erected over the years?

Myth #1 : Frozen and canned fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than fresh ones

Almost every immortal human to ever live in the universe believes that fresh fruits and vegetables are way better than their frozen counterparts. Now that I live alone, my mum never misses an opportunity to reiterate this fact whenever she gets a chance to skim through my refrigerator. My sincere apologies to mum and most of the humans, you people could not have been more wrong.

The fruits and veggies that we see in supermarket aisles are frozen as soon as they are harvested. Therefore, when they reach your plates, almost all the nutrients are preserved and they are as healthy as the fresh counterparts. In fact, the fresh produce might sometimes give you less nutrients because during their shipping and storing, natural enzymes are released that cause them to lose the good they contain. So even though frozen goods look bland in color, they benefit the human body just as much as the fresh ones.

Myth #2 : Eat your carrots if you want good eyesight

It is almost mind boggling to say this but the god forsaken carrot myth has been around since the Second World War. It was rumored that pilots consumed huge amounts of vegetables to maintain good vision. In reality, what actually improved their vision was the improved technology which people predominantly overlooked.

Carrots contain high quantities of beta-carotene which our human body converts into Vitamin A to use for vision, bone growth and maintenance of healthy skin. Eating carrots in abundance can turn a human orange because of the said pigment and can largely help prevent Vitamin A deficiency, but it definitely will not make they’re eyesight any better.

Myth #3 : Eating before going to bed will make you fat

I am sorry to burst your bubble but our bodies do not magically store more fat after 7pm. Typically, humans put on weight when they eat more food than their body requires and do not engage in activities to burn it off. But, if an individual consumes snacks from food groups like dairy, fruits, grains and complex carbs, you are not going to put on weight even if you eat right at midnight.

Usually, we are forbidden to eat late at night because then we might eat, not because of hunger, but just to stay awake.

Myth #4 : Organic foods contain more nutrients than their conventional counterparts

I have encountered many people who naturally gravitate towards foods labelled “organic” in the name of health and nutrition. Astonishingly, these labels are regulated by the Agricultural Departments of various governments which dictate that foods grown without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, antibiotics or growth hormones have to labelled as “organic”. These practices are predominantly followed in the wake of animal and environmental welfare.

The above stated norm clearly shows that the “organic” label is more of a formality than a mark of superior quality. Moreover, research has also proved that there is no discrepancy in the amount or quality of nutrients these so-called organic foods and their normal counterparts contain except for a minor difference in the way they are produced which reward it with a differentiated marking.

Myth #5 : You will be saved from diabetes if you don’t eat sugar.

Diabetes is a disorder of carbohydrate metabolism caused by a combination of genetic and lifestyle factors including a high calorie diet, obesity and physical inactivity. Presence of these factors result in insulin resistance and weight gain which predispose an individual to diabetes.

Therefore, being physically your best and never consuming sugar can delay diabetes. But if it is in your genes, you will get it eventually.

Myth #6 : Drinking water in between meals affects digestion

I remember clear as day my parents scolding me for drinking water in between my meals. They always told me I would either become fat or it would affect my capacity to digest what I am eating. On the flip side, the truth is that water helps in filling up your stomach faster and therefore, a person tends to eat a lot less. So, if an individual is trying to lose weight, this technique is definitely worth a try.

Myth #7 : Microwaving the food kills its nutrients

People often misjudge the capability of a friendly appliance in keeping them healthy. It is believed that microwaving any food kills the nutrients it adds to a person’s body but the truth is that it requires very little heat and time when compared to cooking by other methods (because extremely high temperatures kill the nutrients). This allows to preserve the nutrient content of the food in a better manner.

If you are still skeptical, try using little bit of water and covering your veggies to maintain the vitamin and mineral content to get the job done in the best possible manner.

In conclusion I would say that myths are just statements the mind registers from a trustworthy source. We never try to fact check them. When it comes to food, myths do more harm than good. Therefore, busting these food myths is a necessary task because I believe, taste should be free of myths.

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