5 food myths: Take note!
« If you’re lacking in calcium, drink milk », « If you want to eat healthily, cook your food in olive oil », « Egg yolks are bad for your cholesterol »... These preconceived ideas have been around for a long time and are well-established in our day-to-day lives. However, they are not all correct, especially when it comes to food, where we often hear so much conflicting advice! Let's try to decipher what’s true and what’s not 😉
Egg yolks are very high in cholesterol!
TRUE and FALSE, we’ll explain! 👇
To answer this question, Chinese researchers in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health conducted 17 observational studies on egg yolk consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease, giving data on more than 4 million people.
The result? For a healthy person, the consumption of egg yolks is not related to the risk of cardiovascular disease. In contrast, people with diabetes have a slightly higher risk.
Useful to know: Egg yolks contain cholesterol and fat, but also a good supply of omega-3, omega-6, vitamins D, E and K. It is not recommended to eat 15 a day 😉
Remember, the nutritional quality of the egg depends primarily on the type of feed given to the hen. Therefore, opt for eggs from free-range hens fed with organic feed.
Brown sugar is healthier than white sugar
FALSE ! 👇
We often hear that white sugar is less natural and less nutritionally interesting than brown sugar.
White sugar is extracted from beet and brown sugar is extracted from sugar cane BUT they are both primarily sucrose, i.e. sugar.
The only difference is taste. So this statement is false.
Olive oil is the least fatty of all oils
FALSE ! 👇
ALL oils contain 99% lipids, i.e. fats. Olive oil is no exception.
However, all oils have their pros and cons. For example, olive oil has the advantage of having a high level of monounsaturated fatty acids, i.e. good fats, but is low in vitamin E. So everything in moderation 😉
Did you know? Fats are essential for good health. They provide energy, help regulate body temperature, allow the absorption of vitamins A, D, E and K, make you feel full, enhance the flavour and texture of food and make your skin and hair glow.
Frozen vegetables contain fewer nutrients than fresh vegetables
FALSE ! 👇
Anyone who has never found themselves with an empty fridge on a Sunday night, please raise your hand! Exactly, even if you’re a supremely organised superman/woman, this happens to the best of us. Then, all of a sudden you spot the packet of frozen vegetables and breathe a huge sigh of relief. But do they really provide that much nutrition?
Vegetables that are frozen quickly after being harvested will lose some vitamins in the freezing process. However, they will still retain most of their nutritional qualities.
As a result, your supermarket frozen vegetables can sometimes contain even more nutrients than a leek bought fresh that has been sitting in your cupboard for 2 weeks.
Wait, this doesn’t mean that you should throw away your leek, it will have lost some of its vitamins but will still be very tasty! No to food waste!
Milk is the best source of calcium
FALSE ! 👇
This belief has been around for a long time. Generally speaking, when we think of calcium, we think of milk!
While this isn’t incorrect and there is certainly calcium in milk, it isn’t the only food to have it in large quantities, in fact, quite the contrary. Some vegetables, such as black and white beans, Chinese cabbage, spinach and fennel, and other foods such as salmon, almonds, sardines and even soy contain much more calcium than milk does!
Do you know of any other food myths? Share them with us on our Facebook page!
1: Spence JD, Jenkins DJ, Davignon J. Egg yolk consumption and carotid plaque. Atherosclerosis. 2012 Oct ; 224(2):469-73. Doi: 10.1016/j.atherosclerosis.2012.07.032.
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