Growing up, my mom told me a lot about health and science. She used radio discussion and chain emails to prove her case about why I should finish my vegetables and drink my water. Not until years later did I realize how unreasonable her reasoning (and that of millions) really was. Today, I shall play the part of myth buster, and with the help of snopes, I hope to debunk top 5 common myths of my childhood.
1. Fruit must be eaten on an empty stomach to be absorbed properly. 1
What’s the correct way of eating fruit? I’ve heard plenty of times that you should eat fruit on an empty stomach. The mythical reasoning? Eating other foods before fruit constricts the fruit from going directly into the intestines to be absorbed at maximum capacity and causing the fruit to rot. Eating fruit first will also apparently cure illnesses and prevent sickness and balding. Unfortunately, all that isn’t true. Although the digesting process of the fruit is slower if ingested with other food, the nutritional value is the same. The myth was created by dietitians coming up with a new trend in dieting and a doctor in naturopathy who was known for practicing medicine illegally. Not exactly the best sources. Diabetics and those suffering from fructose intolerance also shouldn’t eat fruit on an empty stomach to prevent large spikes in blood sugar levels and flatulence, respectively.
2. Eating carrots will improve your vision. 2
Eating vegetables is bomb for you. And yes, carrots have a great source of Vitamin A which helps with healthy eyesight, skin, growth and infection prevention. Also, beta-carotene in carrots help prevent cataracts and macular degeneration. But they don’t give you super vision. This myth started in WWII by the British Air Ministry to hide the real reason their pilots were so damn good: Airborne Interception Radar. So really, technology helped improve flight and night vision, not carrots.
3. Drinking cold water after meals will lead to cancer. 3
This one is definitely my favorite. My mom stopped allowing the kids to order cold water with our meals. The reason? Cold water causes cancer. Nausea, heart problems, and other illness will occur if you drink cold water due to fat solidifying in our stomachs allowing fat to adhere to our intestines, thus causing cancer. Unfortunately mom, by the time food and water get to our intestines, it’s about the same consistency of sludge, not with clumps of fat or anything. There isn’t anything to really back this up either.
4. One must drink 8 -10 glasses of water to maintain proper hydration; most American suffer from chronic dehydration. 4
This myth is definitely widespread. Across America, there is a rule of thumb of drinking 8 -10 glasses of water a day. However, the amount of water you need to drink is dependent on how much water you expend. The average human being processes and sweats about 10 glasses of water. However, you eat approximately 4 cups of water, so really, you’re down to 6 cups a day. Also, some say drinking diuretics causes water loss, but you actually retain a half or two thirds of the water from coffees and teas. Ultimately, how much water you need to drink is dependent on your individual senses!
5. Women ingest 6 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime. 5
Women use a lot of lipstick. Apparently, women also eat a lot of lipstick too. The myth says that women eat from 3 to 10 pounds of lipstick in her lifetime, average to about 6. Lipstick weighs approximately 3 grams, allowing a little over 400 applications. Let’s assume you apply lipstick 9 to 30 times a day for 55 years, that equates to 180,675 to 602,250 applications, which is about 450 to 1505 bottles of lipstick, which is in weight, is 3 to 10 pounds. This also assumes that you’re wearing lipstick 9 to 30 times a day everyday, including sick days, vacation days, and sleeping in days. I highly doubt women reapply lipstick 9 times a day everyday for 55 years, especially with the long lasting makeup! It’s all in the math.
So there you have it. 5 common myths busted! All thanks to Snopes and science. Don’t believe your friends and family if they repeat these myths to you. You have science to prove yourself right.
OMG you’re such a good writer J-Le! I love keeping up with your posts. Thanks for the tips, I’ll definitely come back with these when my mom tells me to eat my carrots -_- LOL
Well, just because something turns out false doesn’t mean your mom has lied to you. She could have been misinformed. Yound people may have been growing up in a digital world, but their parents might not. Even if they lie, it’s for your own good!
So is it necessary to put “lies” next to a parent/mother? is it necesary to get attention of your readers in the expense of degrading a parent’s character? First, “lame” , now “lies” such heavy words and condescending tone – very highschool-ish writing at best.
So your mom is a liar? Jesus, grow up! Might as well just say that ur mom is a stupid liar.
I have to agree with Anonymous about using “lies” in the title. I mean, have you ever had a discussion with your mom and said, “You’ve lied to me all my childhood?” A better word is misinformation.
You wrote, “Eating vegetables is bomb for you.” I laughed out loud. I’m not sure everybody would understand that.
An overall entertaining article.
Wow, people are getting really hung up on one word in the title and totally missing the point of this article. I found it informative and can definitely relate to all the “old wives tales” moms like to spread (oh my gosh I called moms old! how disrespectful!!!). Keep ’em coming Jennie! Ignore the haters 🙂
Is this the best that “A News Journal by Young Vietnamese Professionals” could do? Who are these writers that contributed? Are there editors?
Calling your mom ‘old’ and ‘liar’ are obviously two different things. If you blend cultural aspect in your article then at the very least show some respects to that culture. Do some more homework! (You can call your mom a liar at home all you want, nobody cares. But this public writing pattern is getting ridiculous) It’s unfunny and kinda pathetic.
One word. Hyperbole. I love my ma!