Lecture 1: Food Folklore & Myths Flashcards

1
Q

Red tide

A
  • MYTH = Never eat shellfish in a month that doesn’t contain an “R” (May-August)
  • TRUTH = Warm weather causes algal blooms
  • Dinoflagellates produce toxins that concentrate in shellfish (leads to shellfish poisoning)
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2
Q

Honey

A
  • MYTH = Honey in baby formula is a safe natural sweetener
  • TRUTH = Not recommended for infants
  • Botulinum spores are found in honey
  • Adults who eat botulinum spores are almost never affected
  • When infants swallow the spores, the spores can germinate in their immature gastrointestinal tracts (SIDS = sudden infant death syndrome)
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3
Q

Cutting onions

A
  • MYTH = only certain people fry when cutting onions
  • FALSE = everyone cries when cutting onions
  • When cut, onion cells release gasses called lachrymators
  • Lachrymators combine with water to form sulfuric acid
  • The eyes produce tears to wash the acid out
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4
Q

Refined sugars

A
  • MYTH = refined sugars are poisonous to the body
  • Sugar (carbohydrates) is the cause of the obesity epidemic in the U.S.
  • Sugar causes insulin resistance (diabetes) in the U.S.
  • FALSE = sugars are not poisonous at normal doses
  • Not the cause of obesity, but may be a contributing factor
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5
Q

Nutmeg

A
  • MYTH = you can get high on nutmeg
  • Nutmeg contains small amounts of a hallucinogen compound called myristicin in the essential oil
  • TRUTH = nutmeg does have psychoactive properties at doses much higher than used in cooking
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6
Q

Garlic

A
  • MYTH = garlic will protect you from disease and keep away vampires
  • Garlic was worshipped by the ancient Egyptians
  • TRUTH = garlic is a good source of vitamins and minerals
  • Garlic has a potent antimicrobial ingredient (allicin) that is protective in cardiovascular disease and canacer
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7
Q

Brown eggs vs. white eggs

A
  • MYTH = brown eggs are more nutritious than white eggs and that makes them more expensive
  • FALSE = white eggs are laid by chix with white earlobes and brown eggs are laid by chix with brown earlobes
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8
Q

Radioactive food

A
  • MYTH = irradiated foods contain residual radioactivity
  • FALSE = Ionizing radiation kills bacteria, viruses, microorganisms, and insects that would otherwise cause foodborne disease
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9
Q

Brown rice vs. white rice

A
  • MYTH = brown rice is more nutritious than white polished rice
  • TRUTH = brown rice contains the bran and germ layers rich in nutrients (vitamins, fiber, protein)
  • White rice is milled and polished so these layers and nutrients are removed
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10
Q

Kosher salt

A
  • MYTH = kosher salt has been blessed by a Jewish rabbi
  • FALSE = kosher salt contains no additives and has a much larger grain than than regular table salt and is used to prepare Kosher meats
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11
Q

Pasteurized milk

A
  • MYTH = pasteurized milk destroys all the vitamins, calcium, phosphorous and enzymes
  • FALSE = pasteurization is the process of heating food for the purpose of killing harmful organisms such as bacteria, viruses, yeasts, etc.
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12
Q

Green potatoes

A
  • MYTH = green potatoes can be poisonous
  • TRUTH = when potatoes are exposed to sunlight, they produce poisonous compounds called alkaloids
  • Solution = store potatoes in the dark, and cut away any green areas
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13
Q

Cooking on a BBQ grill

A
  • MYTH = cooking on a BBQ grill causes the formation of carcinogens
  • TRUTH = no clear evidence BBQ meat causes cancer, but populations that consume high levels of grilled meats have higher rates of stomach cancer
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14
Q

Chocolate

A
  • MYTH = chocolate is a healthy food
  • FALSE = chocolate contains lots of fat and sugar
  • Chocolate does contain antioxidants, but these compounds aren’t absorbed well from chocolate, and most chocolates have very low levels of them
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15
Q

Gin and tonic

A
  • MYTH = drinking gin and tonic prevents malaria
  • TRUTH = quinine interferes with the growth and reproduction of malaria-causing parasites
  • Gin used by British colonists in tropical countries to make the ingestion of quinine (tonic) more palatable
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