5 Common Food Myths About ‘Unhealthy’ Foods Debunked

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Eggs can cause people to have a high cholesterol level? Popcorn has no nutritional value? Soybeans and yams can cause cancer if eaten in excess? In fact, some common knowledge we have about certain foods is simply a myth. Some foods considered unhealthy are, in fact, beneficial to our body.

Popcorn

Myth: Similar to many snacks, popcorn has no nutritional value and is unhealthy.

Truth: If the seasoning is simple, popcorn is actually a relatively healthy snack.

Three reasons make popcorn a healthy snack: it’s rich in dietary fiber, resistant starch, and antioxidants.

Popcorn is high in dietary fiber and polyphenol antioxidants. It’s also high in resistant starch which is different from the general starch, as it cannot be absorbed by the intestines. Once consumed, resistant starch will become the food of intestinal bacteria. So the gut microbiota will be turned into a combination of microorganisms with more beneficial flora (i.e. “good” bacteria). And good intestinal bacteria can further reduce the chance of diabetes and other diseases.

People have been enjoying popcorn for thousands of years. It is the modern food processing technologies that have made it less nutritious. In order to create rich flavors, people add excessive sugar and seasonings on top of it, causing a large increase in its calories; and in order to extend the popcorn’s shelf life, people add preservatives and other additives into it, thus rendering it unhealthy.

Therefore, when consuming packaged popcorn of rich flavors, we should pay attention to the serving size, because this type of popcorn very likely has unnecessary additives.

“The popcorn freshly made in movie theaters is actually relatively good and simple,” said Dr. Zhang Shiheng at the Lianching Clinic. He also recommended making our own popcorn at home.

Eggs

Myth: Eating eggs can cause cholesterol levels to become excessively high.

Truth: Cholesterol in food has little effect on the human body, even for people with hyperlipidemia. For healthy people, eating five eggs a day will not cause any problems.

There are two sources of cholesterol in the human body. One is from dietary intake, and the other is generated by the liver.

“Only about one-fifth of the cholesterol is obtained through food consumption,” said Dr. Zhang.

Cholesterol in eggs only exists in the yolk. A boiled egg contains about 190 mg of cholesterol, which is not a large amount. In addition, the human body also needs an appropriate amount of cholesterol to form cell membranes and to synthesize some important hormones.

Cholesterol in the human body is mainly produced by the liver. Bad habits, such as lack of exercise, eating sweets, and smoking will make the liver synthesize too much cholesterol and cause hyperlipidemia.

Therefore, we should not make eggs a scapegoat for all the factors that cause high cholesterol while ignoring their nutritional value. Eggs contain vitamins A, B, D, E and K, as well as trace elements, such as zinc, lutein, and folic acid.

According to Dr. Zhang, people with hyperlipidemia can eat one or two eggs a day, which will not have much effect on their blood cholesterol. As for healthy people, even if they eat up to five eggs a day, in fact, it will still be fine, “but it is best to have boiled eggs”.

White Rice

Myth: White rice is not high in nutritional value, and if diabetics eat refined rice, their blood sugar level will rise quickly.

Truth: White rice contains many nutrients, is an all-natural food, and can make the blood sugar rise steadily after a meal.

White rice contains iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, the B vitamins, and other nutrients. And at the same time, it is a natural whole food, and can make the blood sugar rise steadily after the meal.

From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine, white rice can nourish the spleen and stomach. Dr. Shizhan Yan, a physician at Cheng’en Chinese Medicine Clinic and a dual practitioner of Chinese and Western medicine, pointed out that diabetic patients have serious spleen and kidney deficiencies, and white rice can play a role in nourishing the spleen. Some patients are afraid to eat rice, and as a result, their spleen and stomach become increasingly deficient.

Dr. Hanwen Liu of the metabolic department of Taipei Municipal Wan Fang Hospital, said that diabetic patients are allowed to eat white rice, but they need to pay attention to the order in which they eat their foods. They should first eat vegetables, beans, eggs and fish, and finally rice. They should also pay attention to the portion size. In this way, they can control their postprandial blood sugar.

Brown Sugar

Myth: It contains acrylamide, and if consumed, can cause cancer.

Truth: Acrylamide has not been proven to be carcinogenic to humans, and few people consume large amounts of brown sugar every day.

The proteins and reducing sugars in food will have the Maillard reaction at high temperature, causing the much desired “browning” of food which also is a process that may produce acrylamide.

Dr. Xiaowei Chen, a nutritionist and food scientist, pointed out that most food that is fried or grilled at high temperature may produce acrylamide, but its level would be within the acceptable range. “However, grilled meat is relatively dangerous, as the (acrylamide) content is high,” she stressed.

Acrylamide has only been shown to be carcinogenic to animals, but in epidemiological studies, it has not yet been proven to be a carcinogen in humans.

Dr. Chen said that the flavor and characteristics of brown sugar are produced from the Maillard reaction, so there may also be acrylamide included as a by-product. However, few people eat a lot of brown sugar every day, so it is not harmful to the human body.

In addition, unlike refined white sugar, brown sugar retains more trace minerals, such as magnesium and potassium, which help stabilize the nerves. Chinese herbalists often recommend women with menstrual pain to drink ginger tea with brown sugar to relieve the pain.

Soybeans (and Yams)

Myth: Both soybeans and yams contain phytoestrogens, which can cause gynecological cancer.

Truth: Plant-based hormones are different from animal-based hormones, and normal consumption of these foods has little effect on the human body.

Eating yams can help lower blood sugar and improve intestinal health, but diosgenin casts a shadow of carcinogenicity over yams.

Although diosgenin is a precursor to the animal estrogen produced in the body, it will not increase estrogen in the body even if consumed in large quantities. Cancer nutritionist Xu Xiujuan of Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital said, “With a normal diet, the phytoestrogens consumed generally do not have a direct effect on the human body, and there is no concern that they will increase the size of the myomas.”

The soy isoflavones in soybeans are also a phytoestrogen. Some studies have shown that moderate consumption of soybeans does not increase the chance of breast cancer, and it may even reduce the risk of cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, consumption of traditional soy-based foods, such as tofu, may reduce the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, and endometrial cancer, because soy isoflavones reduce the effects of estrogen in the body.