We’re all guilty of having a treat from time to time, whether that’s a nice cheese or a handful of chocolates.
Because these foods are seen as calorific or bad for us in large quantities we tend to only have them on special occasions, but what if we told you that half the things you believe about common foods aren’t actually true?
Let’s separate fact from fiction shall we? Here are 14 misconceptions about common foods that we’re all guilty of believing.
1. You can’t eat cheese if you’re lactose intolerant
Yes, you can! Those who suffer from lactose intolerance can eat hard cheese, this is because the lactose that’s present at the start of the fermentation is removed during the production of most hard cheeses.
2. Chocolate has no nutritional value
Chocolate lovers will be pleased to hear this common belief is completely false. Chocolate is a great source of iron, magnesium, copper, and zinc. It also contains antioxidants which are known to prevent coronary disease. In fact, a daily serving of dark chocolate can help to lower blood pressure.
3. You can’t eat anything with eggs in because they’re bad for your heart
You can have at least one egg a day and still be within the fat guidelines, so don’t panic! Eggs are also full of vitamins and minerals, plus most of the foods they’re put in are extremely yummy, as you can see in our food hamper gifts range.
4. You’re on a diet so you can’t eat nuts
Actually, you can, just not large quantities. Nuts are full of protein and fat and therefore it’s recommended that you stick to a handful a day.
5. Chocolate causes acne
This is a really common myth that your mum probably told you growing up because she wanted you to eat your vegetables instead. Despite the amount of research that’s gone into this misconception, a relationship between chocolate and acne has not been found.
6. Coffee causes cancer
Erm, no it doesn’t. There has been recent research to prove that there is no link between drinking coffee and suffering from cancer so you espresso drinkers are safe.
7. You have a peanut allergy so can’t eat nuts
This isn’t true. If you’re only allergic to peanuts, you can often eat other nuts as, despite the name, peanuts are actually legumes , not nuts! This means that while you may not be able to eat other legumes you can probably eat tree nuts perfectly safely.
8. You can’t eat chocolate because it’s loaded with caffeine
While darker chocolate will contain more caffeine than milk or white chocolate, it shouldn’t affect you. If you really can’t handle caffeine, then there’s no reason you can’t stick to white chocolate.
9. You can’t have cheese because you’re vegetarian
Many vegetarians will refuse to eat cheese because they think it is made with rennet – a substance taken from a cow’s stomach. Actually, not all cheese is made with this and there are many kinds of cheese which are rennet free. No need to miss out on those yummy after-dinner platters.
10. I can’t eat jam because sugar causes diabetes
Anyone with diabetes – both types 1 and 2 – needs to watch their sugar intake but the conditions are caused by numerous factors and eating jam is not one of them. Even those with diabetes may be able to consume a small amount of jam from one of our food hampers providing they monitor their sugar level and match their insulin level to it.
11. You can’t eat biscuits because they’re carbs and you’ll get fat
Carbs are the devil of our decade and get cut from just about every diet fad out there! But, what we size-conscious people don’t always realize is that a healthy amount of carbohydrates are just fine. Treating yourself to a biscuit won’t change your jeans size, just stop short of eating the whole tin!
12. You can’t eat that quality chocolate because it will give you heart disease
Wrong….Chocolate can actually help prevent heart problems because it’s high in cocoa butter which works to reduce cholesterol. Stop worrying and break yourself off a square!
13. You can’t eat chili because it kills your taste buds
Nope. What actually happens is your tongue goes numb to protect your body from pain. It will soon return to normal, with a perfectly normal sense of taste, and should never be affected for more than 24 hours.
14. You can’t eat nuts because they will make you age quicker
This isn’t true for all nuts, in fact, this is only the case for peanuts which contain resveratrol, which – when eaten in huge amounts can show cellular aging. But, don’t rule out all nuts because that isn’t the case and you’ll be missing out!
Now that we’ve debunked 14 of the most common food myths, there’s no reason you can’t enjoy just about every food out there. Stop panicking and enjoy whatever you like. Don’t be worried about food myths, chances are they aren’t true anyway!
All of the tasty treats mentioned above can be found in our yummy food hampers which you can order online from Serenata.