The popular Myth Busters is back, Here is part four. I hope these clear up some of your food myths.
"Eggs are bad for your heart.”- Eggs do contain a substantial amount of cholesterol in their yolks—about 211 milligrams (mg) per large egg. And yes, cholesterol is the fatty stuff in our blood that contributes to clogged arteries and heart attacks. But labeling eggs as “bad for your heart” is connecting the wrong dots
“High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is worse for you than sugar.” - High-fructose corn syrup was created to mimic sucrose (table sugar), so its composition is almost identical to sucrose’s (55 percent fructose, 45 percent glucose; with sucrose the ratio is 50:50). Calorie-wise, it’s a dead ringer for sucrose. And in studies that compare the effects of HFCS with other sweeteners, HFCS and sucrose have very similar effects on blood levels of insulin, glucose, triglycerides and satiety hormones. In short, it seems to be no worse—but also no better—than sucrose, or table sugar.
“A raw-food diet provides enzymes that are essential to healthy digestion.” - Raw foods are unprocessed so nothing’s taken away; you don’t get the nutrient losses that come with cooking, But the claim by some raw-food advocates that eating raw boosts digestion by preserving “vital” plant enzymes, just doesn’t hold water. Those enzymes are made for the survival of plants; for human health, they are not essential.
“Your body can’t use the protein from beans unless you eat them with rice.” - No, Proteins—which our bodies need to make everything from new muscle to hormones—are made up of different combinations of 20 amino acids. Thing is, our bodies can make only 11 of these amino acids; we must get the other nine from food. Animal-based protein-rich foods like eggs and meat provide all nine of these “essential” amino acids, but nearly all plant foods are low in at least one. Experts used to say that to get what your body needs to make proteins, you needed to pair plant-based foods with complementary sets of amino acids—like rice and beans. Now they know that you don’t have to eat those foods at the same meal. If you get a variety of foods throughout the day, they all go into the ‘basket’ of amino acids that are available for the body to use.
“Calories eaten at night are more fattening than those eaten early in the day." - Calories are calories are calories, and it doesn’t matter what time you eat them. What matters are the total calories you take in.
“Radiation from microwaves creates dangerous compounds in your food.” Radiation” might connote images of nuclear plants, but it simply refers to energy that travels in waves and spreads out as it goes. Microwaves, radio waves and the energy waves that we perceive as visual light all are forms of radiation. So, too, are X-rays and gamma rays—which do pose health concerns. But the microwaves used to cook foods are many, many times weaker than X-rays and gamma rays.
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