About Food Myths

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People teachings concerning this matter may be either borrowed from the older generations, or may be the results of personal researches in this field, based on the study of one’s own body. We could however unveil the truth behind many superstitions, beliefs and myths regarding food and healthy eating. These myths may feed upon our fear of disease, which makes us act in a certain way in the desire to protect ourselves.

One such myth is that if you drink too much, it can be tiresome for your kidneys. It’s not really like that. Drinking water is an excellent habit which allows us to hydrate ourselves, to diminish any risks of urinary infections and kidney stones. But if we drink too much mineral water while suffering from kidney insufficiency, then that’s something completely different. There is another negative tendency, that of people suffering from potomania. Potomania is the permanent, uncontrollable need to drink alcohol or whatever kind of beverage comes handier. Of course, water makes no exception. Excessive water drinking is also typical of people suffering from diabetes. Fizzy drinks based on coke are said to have an amazing effect in case of an upset stomach. But that is not quite true. These drinks are very poor in salts and very rich in sugar, which may harm the stomach even further. In the case of children, we must find a way to hydrate them with the help of salts. should drink simple water or water with apple juice and eat salty pretzels.

Another error comes from the belief that one cannot digest milk because one is allergic to it. We can thus mistake allergy for intolerance. In case of allergy, milk’s proteins can cause a fast reaction, from tongue stings to rash all over body. It is a rare case, but it can manifest in certain persons. In case of intolerance, what causes problems is lactose. Lactose cannot be tolerated by some people because of the lack or insufficiency of a certain enzyme which is meant to help degrade lactose in one’s intestine. The name of the enzyme is lactose. If a person has an insufficient quantity of lactose, then the body cannot digest lactose in most of the milky products. On the contrary, lactose is used by bacteria and when gas is formed, people may experience stomach aches, bloating and sometimes even diarrhea. There are still other indicators of intolerance to lactose, and these are: irritable bowel syndrome, non-seasonal asthma, heartburn, migraine, and so on.

There is another myth according to which spicy foods may favor the appearance of ulcer. But apparently, according to medicine experts, delicious spicy meals have never caused ulcer because the main cause of this disease is a bacterium called "Helicobacter pylori". But if we already have ulcer, we should avoid spicy food because it is not easily tolerated. Chocolate is said to have a constipating effect. It does contain a few fibers, it is fat, but these may in fact favor the intestinal transit. There is no food which could actually constipate us by itself, if we eat various foods, drink enough water and exercise. Taking regular walks can enable us to eat a small quantity of chocolate every day.

Fats can increase the production of sebum, which in excess is known to favor acne. The smart thing about this is that the role of feeding in the appearance of acne has never been proven. But this does not matter. In order to have a beautiful complexion, the secret is to have a well-balanced diet. They say it’s dangerous to swallow chewing gum. But there is no need to panic, in case of swallowing it; it will be naturally eliminated a few days later, without causing intestinal occlusion.

Also, the idea that eating too fast can make us gain weight might indeed be true. That is because when we rush to devour everything on our plates, our brain does not have time enough to activate the hormones responsible for pleasure and satiety. The result is we are very likely to still feel hungry and want to eat more.

Moderation is a good guide in the food department and keeps us away from excesses of any kind!