We live immersed in a cloud. Thousands of pieces of information come to our eyes and ears every day. Some of it is immediately classified as nonsense and commented on with a smile or a frown of indignation. Many others enter the mental maps with which we decode reality and orient ourselves when we have to make decisions. Only even these often do not know true, and lead us to make many mistakes.
In the food and wine industry, where information pollution is at an all-time high, an aspiring chef must be aware that there are too many economic interests at stake and too many players competing for public attention. Sensationalism is often motivated only by commercial issues, and the interest of the consumer is definitely put on the back burner. In order to become a chef, one must be able to distinguish between the truths and falsehoods of the information in one's possession. Let's see together what are the main myths that science has debunked about human nutrition.
The main false food myths
Organic farming. Growing organically means polluting less and not using pesticides. In terms of flavor, produce is sometimes a little tastier and sometimes not. In contrast, scientific research from halfway around the world has found that from a nutritional richness standpoint there is no difference with non-bio grown produce.
Pasta is fattening. Of course, if one gets two ounces at lunch and dinner. Taken in normal doses (100 g) once a day, without overly elaborate seasonings and perhaps with associated seasonal vegetables, it is an important part of the personal diet. Merit for the valuable supply of carbohydrates, which are useful for the proper functioning of the entire human organism. Particularly useful information for an aspiring Italian-schooled chef.
Breadsticks and crackers are not fattening. Just because they are thinner in shape does not mean that they are thinner than a sandwich or a slice of homemade bread. However, they are baked goods with fatty ingredients such as oil and lard and various seasonings. In addition to preservatives, of course. Better a small whole-wheat flour sandwich, rather.
Sugar is bad for you, and anyway the cane (raw) one is less bad for you than the refined (white) one. Okay, to begin with, sugar is the fuel of the body and especially the mind. To eliminate it from the diet is to soon run out of energy, apathetic, listless, abstemious, depressed. So it should not be eliminated at all. That then the raw one is better is a myth spread since a decade or so by some foodbloggers of neo-luddite ideology who label as "monstrous" any industrial process. As expert Dario Bressanini explains, "Refined just means cleaned of impurities."
Light is better. The marketing label "Light" does not mean "completely calorie-free product." Chemical examination of many foods and beverages marked with the Light label has shown that these contain on average only 30% fewer calories. It should also be considered that instead of sugars, Light products often use substances such as aspartame, which taken in large quantities can cause dysentery.
Pineapple melts fat. It is one of the funniest phrases for a nutrition expert, that is, a person who has studied organic chemistry and biology, to hear. Of course, it is a gigantic hoax. A belief that has taken root so deeply only because it serves to ease guilt over the excessive lunches that in many parts of Italy ravage the holiday season. The only active substance, found in the fibrous part of the pineapple, is bromelain, an enzyme that aids in the digestion of high-protein foods and has a mild anti-inflammatory action on tissues.
Fish is rich in phosphorus. Well, rich no, let's say well-off. There are foods that in phosphorus beat it 4 to zero, such as grains, nuts, and legumes. An aspiring chef should know that the only reason fish should be served on the table is because it is a damn good food.
2 liters of water per day. It is a number that is not known where it came from. Okay, drinking water is always good for you because it helps kidney function and fights constipation, however, the recommended amount of water for an adult, by European health authorities, is about 1.2 liters (4-6 glasses) per day. To this amount is then spontaneously added the water that is taken in through solid foods.
White meats are leaner Of the red ones. Wish it were that simple, it really depends on the different cuts. A veal loin has less fat than a chicken thigh. Numerous cuts are preferred, such as walnut, for example. So any meat can be chosen, provided you have studied which part of the animal to choose and especially how to cook it. Of course, distinguishing only between types of meat was much easier.
Spinach gives iron. Myth born in the late 1920s, thanks to the Popeye cartoon appropriately sponsored by American spinach manufacturers. Is there anything more to add? Science today tells us that trivalent iron (the plant iron) is absorbed by our bodies only in a percentage ranging from 2 to 10%. While the bivalent one (of animal origin) between 10 and 35%. In addition, among vegetables there are many foods richer in iron, such as legumes, cocoa, peanuts.
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Sources: Tantasalute.it
