# Food myths **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 2, 2017, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225 "2017-03-02T18:18:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/61 "2017-03-03T12:05:43Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > The problem with mayonnaise (one of them, at least) is people contaminate the jar by sticking their utensil into it, spreading it on something, then sticking that same utensil back in the jar with crumbs and shit still on it. Don’tcha hate when you get near the bottom of a jar of mayo and find a used condom? ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/62 "2017-03-03T14:44:03Z")
> [@Princhester](#): > > Another one is “nothing cools you better on a hot day like a cup of hot tea”. My Irish parents in law mentioned this one. I said “strangely I’ve never heard anyone from a hot climate ever say this”. Knowing I’m from Brisbane, they appeared to accept my authority on the point. And when they stay with us, it isn’t hot tea they drink. There may be a small [grain of truth to that](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on-a-hot-day-can-cool-you-down-1338875/). And I’ve encountered hot drinks in hot climates fairly commonly. Indians, in particularly, seemed to be very fond of that. Found the same in Central Asia. ---
**Author:** ![2Bits](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/e95f7d/32.png) [@2Bits](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2Bits)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/63 "2017-03-03T14:50:06Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Green bananas give you a bellyache. As a wee lad I developed a fondness for the taste of green, hard-to-peel, bananas which I continued to consume daily for months despite the bellyache they dependably would cause. I’m not as weird now. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/64 "2017-03-03T15:06:31Z")
One of the most common myths: Lima Beans taste good. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/65 "2017-03-03T15:35:36Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > The 5, 10, 20, or more pounds of undigested meat that is in every non-vegetarians colon. I thought Judge Reinhold improvised that for Beverly Hills Cop. People actually believe that? ---
**Author:** ![quimper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7c8e57/32.png) [@quimper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/quimper)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/66 "2017-03-03T15:44:10Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Green bananas give you a bellyache. That’s not entirely a myth. Green bananas can be over 50% resistant starch, most of which is undigestable and passes to the bowel, where it is consumed by the gut biota. Their waste products include methane and carbon dioxide, explaining the rumbling tummies. Interestingly, the gut biota that relies on soluble fiber/resistant starch has become been the focus of recent research. It may very well be that deliberately cultivating and feeding said gut biota with resistant starch may lead to better health outcomes (lower insulin resistance, less bowel inflammation, etc). ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/67 "2017-03-03T15:57:27Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > One of the most common myths: Lima Beans taste good. You’ve never had them prepared properly; slow cook for a goodly amount of time with some kinda pork product. Or, throw in some corn for succotash. Mmmmmm…limas. ---
**Author:** ![DrCube](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/a3d4f5/32.png) [@DrCube](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrCube)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/68 "2017-03-03T16:02:02Z")
> [@erysichthon](#): > > Actually, I’ve used that excuse too—thinking “this will toughen up my immune system” as I pick up a Flaming Hot Cheeto from the carpet and pop it into my mouth. > > 😃 I always say “I’m cultivating a rich and diverse microbiome”. > [@snfaulkner](#): > > This one is from my high school girlfriend’s uber religiously stupid parents: Don’t cook anything in the microwave because it makes the atoms spin backwards which WILL give you cancer. My mom told us never to stand close to the microwave while it was on. Turns out, if it isn’t actually cooking you, it’s not harming you at all. Just like a regular oven. Furthermore, I had a girlfriend who was deadly serious about not microwaving anything plastic, because it would leech into your food and kill you. The same girlfriend who told me teflon was poisonous and our flaking teflon pans were killing us. (It’s inert and harmless, though by the time the teflon flakes off, the pan is basically worthless and should be replaced.) Did anybody tell you as a kid that watching too much TV would “fry your eyes like bacon”? Bacon eyes sounded cool though and I always kind of wanted them. Mmm, bacon eyes! ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/69 "2017-03-03T16:07:45Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > That, per ounce, Coca Cola contains more sugar than Special K. I might be misunderstanding this one. A [cup of Special K](https://www.specialk.com/en_US/products/original-cereal.html) has 23g of carbs, of which 4g are sugars. [Eight ounces of Coke](http://www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/coca-cola-products/coca-cola/) has 26g of carbs, of which 26g are sugars. I admit my understanding of the distinction between “carbs” and “sugars” is hazy at best. Are you saying, essentially, carbs is carbs? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/70 "2017-03-03T17:11:54Z")
starches are long chains of sugar molecules, and many (most?) are broken down by the body into glucose. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/71 "2017-03-03T17:21:20Z")
Warm bread will give you a stomach ache. This was my mother in her attempts to keep my father and I from butchering her fresh-baked loaves. Eating raw cookie dough will give you worms. Really, mom? Sugar, butter, flour and egg will give me worms? Salmonella, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/72 "2017-03-03T18:05:08Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > starches are long chains of sugar molecules, and many (most?) are broken down by the body into glucose. OK. Still confessing my ignorance here. Is that nutritionally equivalent to taking a nice long sip of corn syrup? ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2017, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/73 "2017-03-03T18:19:22Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > OK. Still confessing my ignorance here. Is that nutritionally equivalent to taking a nice long sip of corn syrup? in terms of calorie intake? Yes, I believe so. supposedly it won’t enter your bloodstream as quickly ([glycemic index.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glycemic_index)) ---
**Author:** ![eschereal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eschereal/32/18939_2.png) [@eschereal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eschereal)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/74 "2017-03-06T01:14:33Z")
> [@Leaper](#): > > Yeah, I think there the rub is … “_sauce is a myth_” ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/75 "2017-03-06T01:46:39Z")
> [@Bayard](#): > > I might be misunderstanding this one. A [cup of Special K](https://www.specialk.com/en_US/products/original-cereal.html) has 23g of carbs, of which 4g are sugars. [Eight ounces of Coke](http://www.coca-colaproductfacts.com/en/coca-cola-products/coca-cola/) has 26g of carbs, of which 26g are sugars. I admit my understanding of the distinction between “carbs” and “sugars” is hazy at best. Are you saying, essentially, carbs is carbs? A cup of Special K only weighs 31 grams (about one ounce). ---
**Author:** ![MonkeyMensch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@MonkeyMensch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeyMensch)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/76 "2017-03-06T01:50:13Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > How did Mikey get Pop Rocks in Vietnam? 😃 Probably from Eddie Haskell. ---
**Author:** ![Defensive\_Indifference](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/defensive_indifference/32/6502_2.png) [@Defensive\_Indifference](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Defensive_Indifference)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/77 "2017-03-06T02:09:11Z")
> [@Ponch8](#): > > A cup of Special K only weighs 31 grams (about one ounce). I was going by volume. The Coke measures were for 8 fluid ounces ---
**Author:** ![installLSC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/54ee81/32.png) [@installLSC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/installLSC)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/78 "2017-03-06T02:37:45Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > There may be a small [grain of truth to that](http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/a-hot-drink-on-a-hot-day-can-cool-you-down-1338875/). And I’ve encountered hot drinks in hot climates fairly commonly. Indians, in particularly, seemed to be very fond of that. Found the same in Central Asia. Wow, [Cliff Clavin was right!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6GTZrcoWEM) The one I have is pretty bizarre; that if you give food to someone who hasn’t eaten in a while and don’t give them anything to drink, it will probably kill them. My mom was fond of this idea, and even claimed a relative inadvertantly killed someone this way. ---
**Author:** ![swampspruce](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampspruce/32/261_2.png) [@swampspruce](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampspruce)\ **Post date:** [March 6, 2017, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/79 "2017-03-06T20:13:41Z")
Mom always told me eating raw potatoes would give me worms; turns out not so much. Same with the raw cookie dough. I love all the juice/detox pseudoscience, especially when I need a good chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 7, 2017, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-myths/781225/80 "2017-03-07T00:06:09Z")
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