5 Fake News About Food
The avalanche of information that we can access today thanks to the Internet and social networks, make fake news about food common. The subject related to nutrition accounts for more than half (54%) of the false news detected by the doctors who have participated in the I Study on Health Bullets.
Food hoaxes are characterized as too good or too bad news. That is, when the benefit granted to a single food exceeds that of a healthy eating pattern. Here we deny 5 fake news about food that you should know!
Fake news about food
A publication through Nutrition Today suggests that educational efforts should be invested to help consumers recognize scientific misinformation about nutrition.
Thus, it is intended that everyone become more aware and avoid believing claims about “nutritional cures”, “miracle foods”, “alarming reports” and the like. Let’s look at some of the fake feed news that, at the time, were popular.
1. Does burnt bread on toast cause cancer?
Acrylamide is formed in burnt bread, a compound classified by the International Association of Cancer Registries as probably carcinogenic to humans.
For this substance to appear, the food must have reducing sugars and amino acids (mainly asparagine) and be subjected to cooking temperatures above 120 ºC.
But, it is not exclusive to bread, it is also formed with the heat treatment of potatoes, croquettes, pastries, coffee, breakfast cereals, etc. The European Food Safety Authority expressed concern in 2015 about the levels of acrylamide exposure through the diet.
Although you have to consume large amounts to be a health risk, it is advisable to reduce acrylamide. These foods should not be cooked above 170 ºC and they must acquire a toasted color, avoiding dark brown.
2. If I am on a diet, can I drink whole milk?
Until a few years ago, it was advisable to opt for skimmed dairy varieties when following a diet for weight loss, as it was intended to reduce the amount of calories and fat without taking into account other aspects of the food.
However, current scientific evidence seems to go against this pattern, as we see in this article published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In it the consumption of whole dairy is associated as a form of prevention against overweight.
In turn, the European Guidelines for Obesity Management in Adults include among their recommendations replacing low-fat dairy with whole dairy as a strategy for managing obesity.
3. Does lemon water purify?
This fake news about food is totally false. Neither debug nor do we need you to. We have three organs in the body that are responsible for our “cleansing” : the liver, the kidney and the lungs.
Lemon is rich in citric acid, an antioxidant that acts as a pH buffer. This is why this false belief could have been generated. There is no food that purifies!
4. Does fruit make you fat after eating?
The caloric intake of the different types of fruit is variable. However, the caloric intake of a fruit is always the same, whether consumed before, during or after the meal. There is no scientific evidence that suggests that the caloric intake of a fruit may vary depending on the time of day it is eaten.
In addition, there is evidence that links a high consumption of fruit and vegetables with greater ease to lose weight and maintain weight lost.
gone, as this article published in the magazine “Frontiers in Nutrition” shows. In fact, one of the possible mechanisms by which fruit and vegetables can contribute to weight loss is their potential effect on satiety.
5. Does eating five times a day speed up the metabolism?
This idea arises from the fact that, when you eat, you expend energy to be able to digest and break down food into all its components. This is what is called the thermogenic effect of food.
However, it turns out that the calories used in digestion are more or less proportional to the volume of food eaten and the type of macronutrients. That is, if we consume a 2,000 kcal diet in a day, it does not matter to distribute it in 3 meals or in 5, because the thermogenic effect will be the same.
In The Journal of Nutrition a study that was published authors concluded that there is no solid scientific evidence to say that increasing meal frequency is positive to lose weight.
When it comes to losing weight, don’t believe the fake news
Like these, there are many fakes news associated with food. Therefore, it is best to resolve all doubts with the help of nutrition professionals. In this way, we will avoid falling into false beliefs that can even expose health.
