# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/101 "2013-10-24T09:07:39Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Not food-related, but still…“Don’t fall asleep with the (oscillating) fan on! It sucks all the good air out! People die! All the time!” Is your wife Korean? I was going to mention the butter/margarine thing, but someone hit that one up. So I’m just going to submit a general complaint how whenever I decide to lose weight by cutting down on my portions and eating more fruits and veggies (as opposed to living entirely on salad and half of a grilled chicken breast each day), every single person I know suddenly turns into a professional dietician who is going to tell me why I’m doing it absolutely wrong.:rolleyes: ---
**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 24, 2013, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/102 "2013-10-24T11:40:55Z")
> [@dougie\_monty](#): > > To you vegetarians/vegans: How do you get the nutrients you would otherwise find in meat/poultry/seafood? With the exception of vitamin B12 there is no nutrient found in animal flesh that isn’t also found in foods of plant/fungal origin. With modern food tech getting supplemental B12 is pretty easy. Old style, it’s believed contamination with things like teeny insect parts and, um, less than perfectly clean foods provided sufficient B12 for groups like Jains to maintain a vegan diet without fatal B12 deficiency. You really only need very small amounts of it (but those small amounts are essential). Non-vegan vegetarians who consume things like eggs and dairy will get B12 from them. ---
**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 24, 2013, 11:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/103 "2013-10-24T11:47:38Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > As well as the belief that home grown/wild food is somehow dangerous, and not as clean as shop bought. I’ve done commercial fruit picking, I _know_ that one’s backwards… I’ve encountered that at a low level with my spouse. Which is weird, because his mom and other female relatives were big on gardening and still gathered wild foods. Maybe it was one too many servings of gamey squirrel soup. I point out to the spouse that even though we do, in fact, know things poop and pee in the garden they do so on commercial crops, too, and it’s less likely a human will be the one taking a dump in our backyard with a turd full of human diseases. We also have more control over the backyard produce than what we get from the store. He gets it intellectually, but it’s stuck in his emotional programming somehow or other. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 11:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/104 "2013-10-24T11:52:44Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Not food-related, but still…“Don’t fall asleep with the (oscillating) fan on! It sucks all the good air out! People die! All the time!” > [@Raguleader](#): > > Is your wife Korean? Ha ha. Yes. I think it is the national pastime to fall for any theory, myth, urban legend, old wife’s tale, etc. My wife is convinced that you risk almost certain death if you sleep with a fan on. So many times I come home and am greeted by: “I was talking to Eun-yung today and \*she \*said…” or “I was reading on the internet, and it said…” Me (to self): Oh, no. ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 12:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/105 "2013-10-24T12:24:57Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Ha ha. Yes. I think it is the national pastime to fall for any theory, myth, urban legend, old wife’s tale, etc. My wife is convinced that you risk almost certain death if you sleep with a fan on. > > So many times I come home and am greeted by: “I was talking to Eun-yung today and \*she \*said…” or “I was reading on the internet, and it said…” > > Me (to self): Oh, no. I pinged on it because I’d head the fan thing specifically before in relation to Koreans. Not sure why just Koreans, but it’s not like I don’t know lots of Americans who believe things that seem patently silly at a glance. I’m sure most cultures have some thing or another like that that they pass around as common knowledge. EDIT: I may have heard a second-hand story of a room full of American military types deciding to troll a Korean civilian by turning on an electric fan and then laying down on their desks for naps. Allegedly. ---
**Author:** ![James\_Toothpaste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e56c9b/32.png) [@James\_Toothpaste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/James_Toothpaste)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/106 "2013-10-24T13:31:50Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > 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. > > **High Fructose Corn Syrup is even worse for you than regular sugar, but honey/agave syrup are good for you.** > > Cook your beans without salt or tomatoes, because salt and acid will prevent the beans from absorbing water and softening. > > \*\*(Properly) deep fried food has tons of fat. \*\* > > Fruit juice is a nutritious beverage, and a good way to get a serving of fruit. > > **Raw and fresh vegetables are healthier than frozen and/or cooked vegetables.** > > MSG causes headaches and/or lots of people are allergic to MSG. > > Adding salt makes water boil faster. > > Whipping cream and heavy cream are the same thing. > > If your food is too salty, add a raw potato and simmer - it will absorb all the extra salt. > > Kosher and halal meat are better quality than regular meat. I thought these were true. :o ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/107 "2013-10-24T14:04:31Z")
I heard someone say they don’t eat bread crust “because it contains more calories”. But my favourite is: antioxidants have never been proven to be good for you, and we’ve looked. 2 studies on giving antioxidants to people actually found that antioxidants were bad for them. Just compare this with antioxidants in advertising today. What is true is we’ve found that people who eat diets high in antioxidants are healthier, but not if you supplement them with antioxidants. (I would love to know if there are any updates on this) ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/108 "2013-10-24T14:05:20Z")
> [@James\_Toothpaste](#): > > I thought these were true. :o Welcome to the SDMB! If you stick around, you’ll find that a whole lot of what you know isn’t true. I learn new things here everyday that I thought were true that aren’t, and vice-versa. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/109 "2013-10-24T14:08:29Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > As well as the belief that home grown/wild food is somehow dangerous, and not as clean as shop bought. I’ve done commercial fruit picking, I _know_ that one’s backwards… I have to confess, I’m guilty of this. I see people catching crabs and cooking them and wonder how do they know that species is edible? Most recently: [Saturated fat heart disease 'myth' - BBC News](http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-24625808) saturated fat is bad for you! ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/110 "2013-10-24T14:23:08Z")
> [@WhyNot](#): > > Oranges are a veggie now? Damn, I just can’t keep up. 😉 > > We’re treating wounds in the kitchen now? Damn, I just can’t keep up. > > The first cite says nothing about honey as a _food_. The only thing the second cite has to say about culinary use of honey is, on page 3: "Even if honey is natural, it is no better than ordinary white or brown sugar for dieters or people with diabetes, says dietitian Toby Smithson, RD, CDE, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and founder of the web site, Diabetes Everyday. > > A tablespoon of honey, in fact, has more carbohydrates and calories than granulated white or brown sugar." > > I am very well versed in the \*medicinal \*virtues of honey. But from a \*culinary \*standpoint, [it is not realistically healthier than sugar or HFCS](http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/food-myths-debunked-honey-is-better-than-white-sugar-because-it-is-natural.html). It has trace levels of some vitamins and minerals, but none that most of us are deficient in, and not at levels that are useful for meeting the USRDA for anything. > Add salt for flavor, if you like, but it will not increase the cooking time a measurable amount in a household kitchen. Christ on a cracker. I have no idea how to sweeten food anymore. At first, I thought Splenda was good for me. Then my aunt told me I should quit that shit and put honey in everything. The quoted post says that’s not much better than granulated sugar. My girlfriend swears by Stevia. Can we all just agree that nobody knows for sure and I can put whatever the hell I want on my Corn Flakes? ---
**Author:** ![Erdosain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/erdosain/32/7284_2.png) [@Erdosain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Erdosain)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/111 "2013-10-24T14:38:22Z")
I met several people in Argentina who believed that drinking milk after eating watermelon was a death sentence, or at least a recipe for getting seriously ill. I can’t really judge, though, since I’ve always just assumed sugar makes kids hyper, just because that’s the conventional wisdom that is constantly repeated. We all have a lot of these unexamined cultural beliefs. Hopefully not resurrecting the hijack from a couple pages ago, but I remember that Qagdop had a very informative post a while back on prison kosher meals. As I recall, he said you could sign up for it, but then they monitored your commissary purchases and kicked you out of the kosher program if you were buying and eating non-kosher items. I seem to recall French onion dip was a common disqualifier, for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/112 "2013-10-24T14:38:26Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Christ on a cracker. I have no idea how to sweeten food anymore. At first, I thought Splenda was good for me. Then my aunt told me I should quit that shit and put honey in everything. The quoted post says that’s not much better than granulated sugar. My girlfriend swears by Stevia. Can we all just agree that nobody knows for sure and I can put whatever the hell I want on my Corn Flakes? Oh, sure. Put whatever you like on your Corn Flakes. Corn Flakes are GMO Processed Food of the Devil anyway. 😃 Bodies are pretty tolerant. I’m not a paleo diet person, but I do think it’s interesting to think about what your great^10 grandfather would have eaten, had he had a hankerin’ for sweets. Berries and honey, and only a small amount, 'cause berries are only available a few weeks a year, and honey is a pain in the ass to harvest. I think it’s reasonable that our bodies haven’t (yet?) evolved to process large amounts of \*any \*kind of concentrated sweeteners on a regular basis. Can we use them? Sure. Can we tolerate a big amount once in a while? Maybe. Can we tolerate 400 grams of sugar every day for years on end? Maybe not; ask your pancreas. So the optimal diet answer to “how to sweeten food,” may well be, “don’t.” ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/113 "2013-10-24T14:41:28Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Christ on a cracker. I have no idea how to sweeten food anymore. At first, I thought Splenda was good for me. Then my aunt told me I should quit that shit and put honey in everything. The quoted post says that’s not much better than granulated sugar. My girlfriend swears by Stevia. Can we all just agree that nobody knows for sure and I can put whatever the hell I want on my Corn Flakes? I try not to take advice from the “artificial sweeteners are evil” crowd. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/114 "2013-10-24T14:46:59Z")
> [@James\_Toothpaste](#): > > I thought these were true. :o In particular, if deep frying is done right, the food’s essentially steamed with its own water, and only the very outside crust becomes crispy or even comes in contact with oil. It’s when the procedure is done incorrectly (wrong temp or too long), that the oil actually penetrates the food significantly and it becomes very oily. Think about it- a perfect french fry/chip/frite is much more similar to a baked or boiled potato on the inside, and only the outside is golden brown and crispy. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/115 "2013-10-24T15:10:11Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > Ha ha. Yes. I think it is the national pastime to fall for any theory, myth, urban legend, old wife’s tale, etc. My wife is convinced that you risk almost certain death if you sleep with a fan on. > > So many times I come home and am greeted by: “I was talking to Eun-yung today and \*she \*said…” or “I was reading on the internet, and it said…” > > Me (to self): Oh, no. > [@Raguleader](#): > > I pinged on it because I’d head the fan thing specifically before in relation to Koreans. Not sure why just Koreans, but it’s not like I don’t know lots of Americans who believe things that seem patently silly at a glance. I’m sure most cultures have some thing or another like that that they pass around as common knowledge. > > EDIT: I may have heard a second-hand story of a room full of American military types deciding to troll a Korean civilian by turning on an electric fan and then laying down on their desks for naps. Allegedly. [The Master speaks](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1245/will-sleeping-in-a-closed-room-with-an-electric-fan-cause-death) ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/116 "2013-10-24T15:30:51Z")
> [@Erdosain](#): > > French onion dip was a common disqualifier, for some reason. “French Onion” typically means “beefy onion”. French Onion soup traditionally has a beef-broth base. French Onion dip usually replicates the beefy flavor with beef fat or natural beef flavor. The beef itself is likely non-kosher beef, and the fact that it’s in a creamy dairy-based dip means you’re mixing milk and meat, which is a Kashrut no-no. On top of that, many dips that aren’t certified kosher have a (non-kosher) gelatin thickener. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/117 "2013-10-24T15:43:25Z")
I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any prepackaged French Onion Dip that had anything resembling beef in the ingredients list. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/118 "2013-10-24T16:38:07Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Christ on a cracker. Too much cholesterol. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/119 "2013-10-24T17:16:58Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > Christ on a cracker. Everything tastes better on a Ritz. ---
**Author:** ![gonzoron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@gonzoron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzoron)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967/120 "2013-10-24T17:40:04Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > I’m not sure I’ve ever seen any prepackaged French Onion Dip that had anything resembling beef in the ingredients list. It may have been hiding as “natural flavor” (or gelatin). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/absurd-food-myths-and-rumors/671967.md?page=7)