Do you remember being told that if you swallowed your gum that it would take 7 years before it would digest?
HAHA I remember my aunt and family telling me this stuff and as a kid you eat it up (pun intended).
So I thought it would be fun to go through some of these myths that we have grown up with and maybe even keep believing today still.
To be or not to be?
- Chewing gum if swallowed will take 7 years to digest or clog up your butt: Well we had to start with this one since this is the one I brought up as the premise of the article. Yes the body cannot digest it, but the gum in actual fact just passes through the digestive system intact. I suppose if it was a wad of gum the size of a fist you'd be in big trouble as you would if you swallowed anything in huge volumes!!
Credit - Eating carbs is bad for you: I'm sure this one is interesting for you, because it is also something that is wonderful to eat and makes you fatter too! So what is the truth on this?
All carbs are not bad for you. In fact the healthy carbs are proven to be beneficial to a persons health. Whole grain carbs have been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, colon cancer, strokes and even obesity!
you also feel happier when you consume healthy carbs, energy, regulated bathroom trips, healthier hair and skin....
Remember that many veggies have healthy carbs in them, its the REFINED carbs that are bad for you! sugar sweetened drinks, pastries, white bread, white pasta etc.
Carbs are great for a person and also help immensely with a persons energy levels.
Credit - Don't drink milk when you have a cold: I suppose this was because it created mucous? Or so we were led to believe. It was proven that drinking milk actually had no correlation to any stuffiness or congestion in sick people.
Full fat milk actually makes you feel fuller than skim milk, so people consume less thereafter, it actually helps people lose weight.
Most people can in fact digest lactose, and the myth that we cannot is incorrect. Again it is the quantity that is the problem and not the bodies inability to deal with it.
Credit - Canned and frozen veg and fruits are less healthy: Fresh veg and fruits often have to travel a distance and spend some time on the shelf before consumed, making them lose the natural enzymes and nutrients. Fresh veg and fruit that are frozen and canned however preserve much of its vitamin and mineral content.
Of course fresh out of the garden is best!!
Credit - Eating carrots improves your eyesight: It seems that this started in WWII when rumors were spread that the pilots at lots of vegetables to keep their vision in the best shape.
However the truth is that they were in fact improved because of technology that was helping them. Of course this whole rumour helped parents trying to get their kids to eat their veggies!
Eating carrots will help you if you are vitamin A deficient however, and will make you healthier in general because of the goodness in them.
Credit - Vitamin C stops you from catching a cold: There has unfortunately been little or no benefit found in Vit C fighting colds or preventing them. Only in about 8% of people did they see any reduction in duration or severity of the colds symptoms. However zinc, garlic, probiotics, euchinacea and chicken soup were proven to assist people with colds.
Vit C will help the system in general be supported in it's day to day functions, growth and repair of tissues.
Credit - You lose more calories eating celery than taken in by them: unfortunately they don't have negative calories, but they are VERY low in calories so are a great way to lose weight.
Celery have less than 10 calories in them.
However they also have many great health benefits.
Credit - Use margarine instead of butter to save on calories: These 2 actually have a similar amount of calories, but marg has less cholesterol and saturated fat.
However many margarines are unhealthier because they contain bad fats which are way worse than cholesterol on heart health.
The taste in butter is way better for me, so I choose that. However make sure to find out about the marg you use to make sure they don't use saturated or trans fats.
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So I hope you enjoyed some of this information, and it was not only informative but fun to go through.
I think its better to know what the truth is rather than perpetuating the myths that we grew up with.
Keep well everyone, have a lekker day......cheers