# Food Related Myths? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 4, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861 "2009-01-04T22:50:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/1 "2009-01-04T22:50:34Z")
So this post is inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=500180) and the second to last paragraph of [this article.](http://www.learningpracticalturkish.com/soft-ice-cream-business--006-06-07.html) What are some weird food related myths that you’ve heard of? Besides the ones mentioned in the article, I was told by my cousin’s grandma that mixing cold water into hot tea then drinking is bad for your stomach. Drinking cold, medium or hot tea is all great but if you take hot tea and add cold water to it then it becomes bad. Eating fish and drinking fish gives you diarrhea. (I’ve “disproved” this a few times but if anyone has a cite saying it’s true, I’d like to see it. At the very least, it doesn’t effect me.) Ok, maybe not so much food related BUT my friend was forced to drink urine (by his grandma) because he got scared of something. Apparently, something bad happens when you get startled or scared and the only way to cure it is by drinking your own piss. This is an Armenian thing, I’ve heard a lot of older to middle aged Armenians saying this. ---
**Author:** ![Quintas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/48db29/32.png) [@Quintas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quintas)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/2 "2009-01-04T22:54:43Z")
> [@tr0psn4j](#): > > So this post is inspired by [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=500180) and the second to last paragraph of [this article.](http://www.learningpracticalturkish.com/soft-ice-cream-business--006-06-07.html) > > drinking fish gives you diarrhea. I don’t doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/3 "2009-01-04T22:57:55Z")
Eating too much sugar gives you diabetes. I heard that over and over from my grandmother when I was a kid. (and here I am with diabetes, but it’s not because of the sugar I ate!) ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/4 "2009-01-04T23:02:16Z")
Eating fish and **DRINKING MILK** gives you diarrhea. 😃 Maybe a mod can fix that and delete this post. ---
**Author:** ![Knowed\_Out](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/knowed_out/32/7380_2.png) [@Knowed\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Knowed_Out)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/5 "2009-01-04T23:11:34Z")
Don’t swallow the watermelon seeds. They’ll grow in your stomach. Eat the potato skins. They’re the best part. Eat black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck. Don’t eat pork or leavened bread or you’ll go to hell. ---
**Author:** ![Agonist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@Agonist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agonist)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/6 "2009-01-04T23:15:43Z")
There’s the classic “Don’t go swimming after you eat or you will get cramps and drown.” I think Cecil may even have covered that one. ---
**Author:** ![JThunder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e95f7d/32.png) [@JThunder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JThunder)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/7 "2009-01-04T23:20:14Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Eat the potato skins. They’re the best part. Why do you consider this one to be mythical? ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/8 "2009-01-04T23:23:33Z")
This book covers many such myths, mostly those of a medical nature. > **[Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever: A Dictionary of Medical Folklore: Rinzler, Carol...](https://www.amazon.com/Feed-Cold-Starve-Fever-Dictionary/dp/0816023948)** > > Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever: A Dictionary of Medical Folklore \[Rinzler, Carol Ann\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever: A Dictionary of Medical Folklore Feed a Cold, Starve a Fever: A Dictionary of Medical Folklore ---
**Author:** ![longPath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bb73d2/32.png) [@longPath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longPath)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/9 "2009-01-05T00:02:56Z")
If you eat aged Cheddar Cheese before bed you will have nightmares. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/10 "2009-01-05T00:09:22Z")
> [@Knowed\_Out](#): > > Eat the potato skins. They’re the best part. They _are_ the best part, if not nutritionally, then taste wise. Cherries and milk were supposed to be poisonous in combination. Actually, there are many myths about food combos that can poison you. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/11 "2009-01-05T00:10:47Z")
My southern grandfather and I were canning applesauce once when I was 19. He warned me that if I was on my period, I couldn’t help, because the applesauce would spoil. I\* was\* on my period, but I was too embarrassed to say so- I was young. So I helped him can it, and as far as I know, the applesauce did not go bad. ---
**Author:** ![tr0psn4j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/958977/32.png) [@tr0psn4j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tr0psn4j)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/12 "2009-01-05T00:16:37Z")
> [@Agonist](#): > > There’s the classic “Don’t go swimming after you eat or you will get cramps and drown.” I think Cecil may even have covered that one. [Found the page](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/1097/is-it-really-important-to-wait-30-minutes-after-eating-before-swimming) ---
**Author:** ![Ms\_Macphisto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b487fb/32.png) [@Ms\_Macphisto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms_Macphisto)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/13 "2009-01-05T00:48:52Z")
> [@Alice\_The\_Goon](#): > > My southern grandfather and I were canning applesauce once when I was 19. He warned me that if I was on my period, I couldn’t help, because the applesauce would spoil. I\* was\* on my period, but I was too embarrassed to say so- I was young. So I helped him can it, and as far as I know, the applesauce did not go bad. That seems to be a common one. My Mennonite grandmother believed that if you made jam while you were on your period, the jam wouldn’t set. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/14 "2009-01-05T00:52:18Z")
I just heard on NPR the other day that sugar does not in fact make kids hyper. And it wasn’t the result of some rogue, attention-seeking study; it was the unanimous result of 12 different independent studies. ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Carrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f0a364/32.png) [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/15 "2009-01-05T00:57:11Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > They _are_ the best part, if not nutritionally, then taste wise. Huh? I thought it was the other way around: skins taste crappy, but have all the nutrients. ---
**Author:** ![Amp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Amp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amp)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/16 "2009-01-05T01:01:44Z")
Eating chocolate will give you acne. ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/17 "2009-01-05T01:48:37Z")
Eating the crust of the bread will make your hair curly. My Grandma always told me this, and I believed her, because I ate the crust and had curly hair. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/18 "2009-01-05T04:12:11Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I just heard on NPR the other day that sugar does not in fact make kids hyper. And it wasn’t the result of some rogue, attention-seeking study; it was the unanimous result of 12 different independent studies. No, it does not make them actually medically hyperactive. But certainly it can give them a sugar-high, just like it can adults. Of course, once it burns off they are not worse for it, although your nerves may be. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/19 "2009-01-05T04:48:29Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Cherries and milk were supposed to be poisonous in combination. Actually, there are many myths about food combos that can poison you. I think this came about due to the death of [Zachary Taylor](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zachary_Taylor#Death) ---
**Author:** ![Renee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/renee/32/287_2.png) [@Renee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Renee)\ **Post date:** [January 5, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861/20 "2009-01-05T06:25:59Z")
> [@Ms\_Macphisto](#): > > That seems to be a common one. My Mennonite grandmother believed that if you made jam while you were on your period, the jam wouldn’t set. Sounds like a good way to get out of canning, to me. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/food-related-myths/479861.md?page=2)