# Absurd Food Myths and Rumors **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 22, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967 "2013-10-22T20:14:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![AndrewL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AndrewL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AndrewL)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/181 "2013-10-28T00:24:22Z")
I’m just relieved to learn that I’m not the only person in the world who eats my shrimp with the shells still on. My wife’s parents used to tell her that she shouldn’t cut the crusts off bread, because all of the fiber or vitamins or nutrients or something were concentrated in the crust somehow. And IMHO olives are olives are unpalatable no matter how you treat them. Bleagh! ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/182 "2013-10-28T00:49:45Z")
> [@AndrewL](#): > > My wife’s parents used to tell her that she shouldn’t cut the crusts off bread, because all of the fiber or vitamins or nutrients or something were concentrated in the crust somehow. The really most absurd thing about that one is that it may be true! :eek: [Is eating bread crust really good for you? | HowStuffWorks](http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/food-nutrition/facts/eating-bread-crust.htm) ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/183 "2013-10-28T02:51:21Z")
Grandma told me to eat the crusts because they put roses in my cheeks. Maybe that’s where the rosacea came from. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/184 "2013-10-28T03:21:57Z")
> [@Little\_Bird](#): > > Breast milk is a magical wonder elixir. Your breast fed child will never get sick, will maintain an ideal body weight forever and will go to Harvard and become a rich doctor. > > Formula is poison. Your formula fed child will be a morbidly obese cretin with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes, get every disease ever, and will be lucky to graduate 8th grade and get a minimum wage job with his name on his shirt. > > Nope. They’re both just food. To the extent that you are exaggerating actual claims for breast milk (or repeating the wild claims of breast milk extremists) you no doubt have a point. However, I don’t think I’ve seen a study that \*doesn’t \* find that breast milk gives some measurable benefit over formula. Further, saying “they’re both just food” is just plain wrong. [Breast milk contains things that have health benefits other than just providing nutrition](http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/119/5/941.full). Breast feeding is inconvenient but entirely medically established to be better for babies. People don’t like to feel like they are not doing the best thing by their babies. Consequently there are people who really, _really_ want to believe that formula is just as good despite the fact that proposition is demonstrably not true. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/185 "2013-10-28T03:36:36Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I find it’s easy to avoid DNA in your food if you don’t antagonize or belittle your server. Well that is very remarkable. Do you live entirely on salt, vitamin pills, and refined sugar? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/186 "2013-10-28T03:41:50Z")
> [@njtt](#): > > Well that is very remarkable. Do you live entirely on salt, vitamin pills, and refined sugar? You must live on wind rushing past you. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 3:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/187 "2013-10-28T03:57:30Z")
> [@Little\_Bird](#): > > No, exactly. Breast milk is slightly better for the kid than formula, generally, but this cult of the tit is going mad. Women are buying milk from strangers on the internet, un-screened, un-pasturized, and feeding it to their kids because they don’t want to chance their kid consuming the poison that is formula. Seriously. You want to give your precious snowflake the best, so you feed it milk that is carrying who-knows-what. So creepy. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/188 "2013-10-28T06:58:20Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Breast feeding is inconvenient but entirely medically established to be better for babies. People don’t like to feel like they are not doing the best thing by their babies. Consequently there are people who really, _really_ want to believe that formula is just as good despite the fact that proposition is demonstrably not true. The first sentence is one I completely disagree with. I breast fed both my children and I found it enormously convenient. No bottles to clean or sterilise, the milk was always at the right temperature and there was no waste. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/189 "2013-10-28T07:48:08Z")
Well, perhaps I should have said “Breast feeding is perceived to be inconvenient by some but…” The reasons people do not breastfeed wasn’t the subject of my post. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/190 "2013-10-28T12:39:52Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Breast feeding is inconvenient but entirely medically established to be better for babies. People don’t like to feel like they are not doing the best thing by their babies. Consequently there are people who really, _really_ want to believe that formula is just as good despite the fact that proposition is demonstrably not true. _In general_ your statement is true, “breast is best” contains some truth, but there are many, many exceptions to that rule. There are women with various medical conditions who should NOT breast feed with their own milk because their milk could be hazardous to their their child due to contamination (HIV infection, for example, or women who take certain medications they require but which should not be passed on to their child). While donated breast milk might be superior to formula, _contaminated_ donated breast milk, whether that contamination is bacteria or some other substance, is NOT. Better a quality formula than unhealthy human milk. Formula isn’t ideal but it’s not poison, either. Healthy babies can do well on it if need be. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 10:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/191 "2013-10-28T22:14:55Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > While donated breast milk might be superior to formula, _contaminated_ donated breast milk, whether that contamination is bacteria or some other substance, is NOT. Better a quality formula than unhealthy human milk. Formula isn’t ideal but it’s not poison, either. Healthy babies can do well on it if need be. Notice how you have to strawman and ignore my point in order to rebut? What does that tell you?: ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2013, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/192 "2013-10-28T23:24:58Z")
It tells me you have an axe to grind and are looking for generalities over specifics. Formula isn’t the best but it’s not poison, it’s actual food. Feeding a child formula isn’t child abuse. ---
**Author:** ![Seanette](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/seanette/32/9139_2.png) [@Seanette](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Seanette)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/193 "2013-10-29T00:00:04Z")
> [@AliveNot](#): > > Myths: > > Mushrooms can’t be washed or soaked in water, 'cause they absorb water like a sponge. You have to wipe them one by one with a damp paper towel or an [$18 mushroom brush](http://www.fjorn.com/ir114100.html?cmp=googleproducts&kw=ir114100&gclid=CKaHjaemq7oCFe5cMgodqAQAHA). > > Searing meat seals in the juices and gives you a juicier steak/stew meat. Alton Brown tackled both of these on one episode of “Good Eats”. His testing said “no” on both. The extra work just didn’t yield a significantly better result. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/194 "2013-10-29T00:18:19Z")
> [@Seanette](#): > > Alton Brown tackled both of these on one episode of “Good Eats”. His testing said “no” on both. The extra work just didn’t yield a significantly better result. Okay: “sealing in the juices” is bunk, but for many meats you should sear it first before cooking with using another method, although sometimes you can achieve the same through other means: [Maillard reaction](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maillard_reaction). ---
**Author:** ![Waenara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/50afbb/32.png) [@Waenara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waenara)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/195 "2013-10-29T04:30:40Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > The first sentence is one I completely disagree with. I breast fed both my children and I found it enormously convenient. No bottles to clean or sterilise, the milk was always at the right temperature and there was no waste. The convenience of breastfeeding is highly variable depending on your personal situation. It can be extremely convenient if you’re a stay at home mom or live in a country that has a decent amount of maternity leave. But exclusive breastfeeding until age six months (which is highly recommended) is not as convenient if the mother has to return to work before that. Pumping can be inconvenient - especially if you have to take breaks at work to do it. And if you’re pumping you still have to deal with cleaning and sterilizing bottles and storing it. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 4:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/196 "2013-10-29T04:57:19Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Formula isn’t the best but it’s not poison, it’s actual food. Feeding a child formula isn’t child abuse. So rather than recognise that you are strawmanning, you double down on it? How obnoxious do you wish to be? Who exactly is saying that formula is child abuse or that formula is poison or that it isn’t food? The answer, as I’m sure you know, is precisely no one participating in this thread, let alone me. That being the case, why did you say these things as if they were in response to anything I said? ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/197 "2013-10-29T05:15:10Z")
> [@James\_Toothpaste](#): > > My sister once told me that mustard had pig poop in it, and honey was really bee barf. I don’t know if these are true, but it sure did not encourage me to eat mustard! > [@bump](#): > > Mustard is primarily ground up mustard seeds, with some vinegar or other acid, and sometimes other spices and sweeteners. No pig poop, unless it’s commonly in one of those other things. > > Honey IS in essence bee barf though. > [@bouv](#): > > Honey is definitely bee barf…in a manner of speaking. > > Honey is made from bees gathering nectar from flowers, then regurgitating it into a honeycomb, then sucking it back up, regurgitating some more, etc…enzymes in their stomach convert sugars in the nectar, and other bees “fanning” the honeycombs with their wings help water to evaporate and concentrate it. > [@cwthree](#): > > Mustard is ground mustard seed mixed to a paste with water or vinegar. It may be amended with horseradish, honey, artisanal vinegar, or other seasonings. Not pig poop, though. > > Honey is made from nectar gathered by bees from flowers. A bee carries nectar back to the hive in its crop (the upper part of its digestive tract), whence it deposits the nectar in a beeswax cell to, um, mature. I suppose in a sense it’s bee barf, but it’s also bee food, since bees eat the honey during the part of the year when nectar is not available. > > ETA: \*\*bump \*\*and \*\*bouv \*\*beat me to it. Darn, you guys are fast. This is arguable. I don’t think it’s an “absurd myth” as per the OP, but I don’t believe it’s correct. I guess it depends on what makes barf, well ‘barf’. Is it barf because it goes in the mouth and comes back out? Or is it barf because it is eaten, then regurgitated, possibly partially digested? I go with the second, and if that’s the case, then honey ISN’T bee barf. The bee takes in nectar and stores it in a pouch along the alimentary canal, but before the stomach. There is no digestion taking place. I personally don’t consider that to be ‘barf’ or vomit, IMO, just a novel take on storage. If you think it counts as barf, just because it went in the mouth and down a little, then came back up, then I guess for you honey does count as bee barf. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/198 "2013-10-29T05:53:30Z")
I have to eat gluten free, so the gluten free thing helps me out, but I encounter people all the time who think they will lose weight if they just stop eating gluten. It doesn’t work that way! Though it tends to be true that you don’t necessarily replace all the wheat carbs with any other type. You just go without to some extent. Putting a sandwich in a lettuce wrap rather than gluten-free bread, for example. It makes me afraid backlash is going to kill the gluten free market and the labels will go away. The labels are really helpful for those of us who need to avoid it! I swear! ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/199 "2013-10-29T06:57:53Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > So rather than recognise that you are strawmanning, you double down on it? How obnoxious do you wish to be? Who exactly is saying that formula is child abuse or that formula is poison or that it isn’t food? The answer, as I’m sure you know, is precisely no one participating in this thread, let alone me. That being the case, why did you say these things as if they were in response to anything I said? I overheard someone in a restaurant a few months ago. One young woman was telling another young woman how someone had given her some sort of gift basket or care package, or something like that, I assume due to a child on the way. In it was a container of formula. On hearing this the other woman firmly and strictly blurted out “DO NOT USE IT. THROW IT AWAY.” That’s utterly ridiculous. (Or is it udderly ridiculous?) Unless you’re in a third world country using contaminated water to mix it up, there’s nothing wrong with using formula. ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2013, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/200 "2013-10-29T10:50:40Z")
Your post is relevant to what I said how? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967.md?page=11)