Geoff Jansz looked at some of the most common kitchen and food myths.
Avocados
Myth 1: Cholesterol
Many people believe avocados are high in cholesterol. To counter this, those marketing avocados put stickers on the fruit that read ‘no cholesterol’. While avocados are cholesterol free, the labels are misleading as no plant food, including avocado, contains cholesterol.
Myth 2: Fat
Avocados do contain a little fat, but it is the same healthy fat found in olives and olive oil. The fat in avocados is present in such small amounts you would have to eat many avocados before their fat content had an affect on your weight. It is quite safe for the diet conscious to put slices of avocado on a sandwich, in a salad, or mashed onto toast as a spread.
Myth: Vegetables should be eaten raw
It is true some vitamins are lost when vegetables are cooked, but others, such as the beta-carotene in cooked carrots, are more readily available to the body. Lycopene, an antioxidant in tomatoes, is more easily absorbed from cooked tomatoes, but the vitamin C in tomatoes is best when raw. So it’s better to have some vegetables raw, and some cooked.
Myth: Parsley gets rid of bad breath
Bad breath may come from two sources:
1. the gut – the smell of digesting foodstuffs is expelled via reflux
2. the mouth – the most common source of bad breath
The smell of garlic, produced by its amines, may linger in the mouth and can be temporarily masked by chewing fresh parsley, as its similarly constructed amines can neutralise the odour (ie ‘like’ dissolves ‘like’). However, this is unlikely to completely remove the garlic odour, which may also seep out of a person’s pores.
Myth: Meat takes days to digest
Meat digests within four to five hours. Dietary fibre in fruits, vegetables and whole grains takes 48 to 78 hours to digest – much longer than meat. This isn’t a problem, but neither is the digestion of meat. Humans are omnivores and can digest a wide range of foods.
Myth: It’s ok to cut the green off the potato and eat the rest
Green potatoes result from excessive exposure to light, whether natural or artificial. The green itself is chlorophyll, which is not harmful. However, the same process of photosynthesis that produces chlorophyll also produces a compound called solanine, which is toxic in large amounts. It is concentrated in the skin and tissue just below the skin. Solanine can be present in parts of the potato other than the green area. However, it does produce a bitter taste. If eaten in large quantities it can cause illness. It is best not to eat any part of the potato if green is present.
Myth: Raw eggs don’t have to be refrigerated
Eggs, like all dairy products, must be refrigerated at or below 4 degrees Celsius. This not only keeps eggs fresh and long-lasting, but retards bacterial growth, especially if the egg is contaminated with Salmonella. However, to be completely safe, always cook eggs well so that the yolk as well as the white is firm and never runny.
