Questions tagged [nutrition]
Use this tag for claims regarding the way we eat, and the effects eating has on our bodies.
684
questions
3
votes
0
answers
943
views
Apple cider vinegar in bone broth soup extract minerals and nutrients
After looking through recipes for bone broth stock / soup I noticed that it is often claimed that adding apple cider vinegar to the mixture helps extract nutirents / minerals from the bones.
Below ...
- 6,761
4
votes
0
answers
1k
views
Did Mesoamericans eat Chihuahua dogs?
There are multiple online sources that claim the Chihuahua dog breed was often eaten by the Mesoamerican cultures who lived there before the arrival of the Europeans.
For example, this site claims ...
- 18.7k
4
votes
0
answers
353
views
Is palm oil bad for health?
Lately, Russian TV and various internet sites have started a campaign against palm oil (Пальмовое масло).
Here are some examples:
Пальмовое масло: вредно или полезно? [Trans: Palm Oil: Harmful or ...
- 149
14
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Do sandwiches taste better when someone else makes them?
I'm a bit skeptical about the claim in this poster:
Click for a larger version.
Studies show that sandwiches actually taste better when other people make them for you. When we make food, we get ...
- 300
6
votes
0
answers
469
views
Do bears get a taste for human flesh?
I'm sure I've heard similar stories regarding dogs and even hamsters, but in this Guardian story a vet says:
Takeshi Komatsu, a local vet, said it was possible that the four were killed by the same ...
- 2,306
14
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can humans digest the iron present in spinach?
In this article by Spiegel Online (German), there is a claim that humans cannot absorb/digest/use the iron present in spinach:
Das tatsächlich im Spinat enthaltende Eisen ist für Menschen per ...
- 3,299
18
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Was a misplaced decimal point responsible for the popular belief that spinach has a lot of iron?
Daniel Engber writes in Who Will Debunk The Debunkers?:
Popeye loved his leafy greens and used them to obtain his super strength, Arbesman’s book explained, because the cartoon’s creators knew that ...
- 33.3k
8
votes
2
answers
745
views
Do artificial sweeteners raise the risk of diabetes?
A recent study about the effect of artificial sweeteners suggests they may increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes. This has been widely reported in the media, for example the Mail Online ...
- 56.1k
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Do supermarkets spray fruit to keep it from rotting?
Many people wash their fruits because they say that supermarkets put a chemical spray on them to keep them nice for a long time without rotting. (They are concerned that eating food with that spray is ...
- 183
6
votes
1
answer
548
views
Are fruits better than processed fruit juices?
I had a discussion with a friend of mine. He claimed that (processed) fruit juices from any organization (say Tropicana) are not at par with naturally occurring fruits, rather they are worse. He said ...
- 517
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Is Arsenic Essential to Life?
A website selling Himalayan Salt advertises:
As a trace mineral, arsenic is a necessary part of healthy blood. Small amounts of arsenic are essential to life.
Is this claim true?
- 105k
3
votes
0
answers
273
views
Can 3D ocean farms provide food and biofuel far more sustainably than other sources?
This article in The Nation contains an excerpt from “Ecological Redemption: Ocean Farming in the Era of Climate Change,” a lecture by Bren Smith given at the Thirty-Fifth Annual E. F. Schumacher ...
- 17.7k
16
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Are vegetarians more intelligent?
In a post titled Why Vegetarians Are More Intelligent than Meat Eaters, evolutionary psychologist Satoshi Kanazawa claims:
Among the British respondents in the National Child Development Study, ...
- 345
26
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Are the vast majority of vegans Vitamin B12 deficient?
WebMD reports:
In the July issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, German researchers tracked 174 apparently healthy people living in Germany and the Netherlands.
They found that 92% of ...
- 363
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is Aspartame being added to regular Coke?
Recently, I have been drinking regular Coke and have been really turned off by the taste, since it seemed to have aspartame in it. At first I thought I was crazy because it is regular Coke, not sugar ...
- 673
7
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does standard table salt contain anti-caking agents that prevent salts from disolving in our body?
FitLife writes in 10 amazing benefits of pink himalayan salt:
Commercial refined salt is not only stripped of all its minerals, besides sodium and chloride, but is also chemically cleaned, bleached ...
- 33.3k
1
vote
1
answer
937
views
Does Himalayan Salt have positive effects on the pH balance inside the human body?
FitLive writes in 10 Amazing Benefits of Pink (Himalayan) Salt:
Balance pH (alkaline/acidity) and help to reduce acid reflux
Mercola makes the same claim in The 13 Amazing Health Benefits of ...
- 33.3k
12
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Is it illegal in Germany to waste food at a restaurant?
This post on LinkedIn Pulse purports a tweet from Mr. Ratan Tata - a well-known Indian of diverse interests.
The tweet references an undated incident at an unnamed restaurant in Hamburg, Germany. The ...
- 639
21
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Do high-fat diets causes heart disease?
This article in The Guardian alleges that the nutritional science establishment has spent the last 4 decades claiming that fatty diets cause heart disease when in fact sugar is largely to blame. The ...
- 15.8k
11
votes
2
answers
556
views
Is it dangerous to feed powder-based infant formula that has been left at room temperature for more than two hours?
Claim: If you mix infant formula powder with boiled water and leave the resulting mixture at room temperature, it should be considered spoiled after 1 or 2 hours.
Claimed by: Infant formula powder ...
- 991
9
votes
0
answers
987
views
Are imported, machine slaughtered meats served to pilgrims in Mecca?
I recently received this message on whatsapp:
A warning to those Intending to perform Umrah or Hajj
Mufti Abdullah Nana, the founding member of the Halal Advocates of
America, says:
"I ...
- 191
7
votes
1
answer
9k
views
Will cooking with a Lucky Iron Fish add dietary iron to food?
Lucky Iron Fish is a product made of iron, one can use to add to food to boil with and it is meant to boost the iron levels in the food.
One Lucky Iron FishTM can provide an entire family with up to ...
5
votes
1
answer
906
views
Do frozen foods remain safe indefinitely?
I just found in my freezer some foie gras from two years ago. It's not cooked and is very well wrapped in aluminium foil and plastic foil.
My freezer has been kept at -20 °C ( -4 °F) or below.
I read ...
- 53
3
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Do "nightshades" and tomatoes cause inflammation?
Giselle Bundchen and Tom Brady reportedly have a very strict diet that, among other things, restricts "nightshades".
As reported in Business Insider:
[Tom] doesn’t eat nightshades, because they’...
- 380
7
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Is castoreum, from "a beaver's butt", used for substitute vanilla flavoring?
Source: National Geographic: Beaver Butts Emit Goo Used for Vanilla Flavoring
Beaver butts secrete a goo called castoreum, which the animals use to mark their territory. The U.S. Food and Drug ...
- 941
5
votes
1
answer
620
views
Does eating birds' nests stimulate the regeneration of cells?
Edible bird's nests are believed to have high nutritional and medicinal value. This is why it can cost up to $4500 per pound.
There are many vague claims about the benefits of eating birds' nests. ...
- 3,349
1
vote
1
answer
426
views
Does low-calorie/ high-protein diet + fitness regime allow simultaneous muscle growth and fat loss?
Does eating less overall (but high protein), in conjunction with weight lifting (4 days a week), have the effect of inducing fat loss while growing muscle?
On the CBC site it is claimed that a regime ...
61
votes
1
answer
12k
views
Does the cardboard box cost more than the corn in cornflakes?
In today's edition of CNN Student News (transcript), devoted to the topic "breakfast cereal", the following claim was made:
Let`s start with the cereal itself. At its core, cereal is actually the ...
- 521
9
votes
2
answers
6k
views
Does the average American eat 7,000 animals during their lives?
USA Today reports that:
The average person will chomp down on 7,000 animals during their lives, according to the Vegetarian Calculator.
It breaks down to 11 cows, 27 pigs, 2,400 chickens, 80 turkeys, ...
- 223
9
votes
1
answer
2k
views
Is eating food with your bare hands more tasty?
In India, it has been a tradition to eat food with (washed) bare hands instead of using a knife, fork, spoon or chopsticks. Family and relatives re-iterate that it's tastier to eat with bare hands.
Is ...
- 599
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Protein Per Every Pound You Weigh for optimal muscle building?
I am sure everyone who goes to the gym has been told at one point by some trainer that:
You must consume up to 1.0g of protein per pound of bodyweight.
I have heard many arguments on why this is ...
- 183
1
vote
0
answers
28
views
can an acid alkalinize blood [duplicate]
I have recently read that umeboshi vinegar alkalinizes blood thanks to its content in acetic acid.
I find at least strange that an acid can have an effect contrary to acidification.
Can this be ...
- 111
16
votes
1
answer
841
views
Does drinking milk increase risk of death?
A Facebook friend linked to a claim that I find rather dubious. On the website of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, they talk about health concerns about dairy products and have an ...
- 5,736
2
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Do peanuts contain high levels of omega-6 fatty acids?
Listverse's article 10 Unhealthy Foods You Think are Healthy claims:
Nuts are generally healthy. Most sorts come packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber, and lots of goodies for your body to enjoy. ...
- 311
11
votes
1
answer
825
views
Can you tell someone is hungry based on stomach rumbling?
The stomach rumble (clearly audible sound caused by the digestive system's movements) is a common phenomenon, often believed to be indicative of hunger. It is also a common trope used in fiction to ...
- 1,991
3
votes
1
answer
546
views
Does Vitamin C in Indian Gooseberry have skincare benefits when applied directly to skin, or when eaten?
There are several health product sites making claims about Vitamin C and Indian Gooseberry. They say it helps with skin problems.
Note that "Amla" is one of the names for Indian Gooseberry.
...
- 141
6
votes
1
answer
394
views
Is it more harmful to eat sugary food when sick?
If you search junk food when sick there's all sorts of info telling you not to eat it, e.g.
Natural Society: 5 Foods NOT to Eat While Sick or Battling a Cold
5 Foods NOT to Eat While Sick or Battling ...
- 191
4
votes
0
answers
240
views
Do processed meats cause cancer only insomuch as they contain preservatives? [closed]
For those not in the know, the WHO released a study today saying that Bacon, hot dogs and other processed meats cause cancer. They further say that red meat "probably" causes cancer. A common reply to ...
- 509
5
votes
1
answer
418
views
Do bees pollinate 1/3 of the world's food sources?
I was eating some almonds when I saw the lid of the Blue Diamond Almonds : Smokehouse Flavored can say that bees pollinate 1/3 of the entire world's food sources.
Is this claim true at all?
- 151
1
vote
1
answer
249
views
Are fresh tomatoes more healthy than tomato paste? [closed]
The common dogma is that fresh food is more healthy than processed food.
Is that also true in the case of tomato paste?
Carolyn Susman wrote in the ChicagoTribune:
Despite advice that eating a whole ...
- 33.3k
5
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Does honey contain traces of alcohol?
This question is similar to the case of bread, but I am more skeptical with honey because of its properties somewhat resemble to an alcohol (being acidic and tangy on tongue).
Relative source
I found ...
user29319
10
votes
2
answers
4k
views
Do rice products have high levels of arsenic?
A recent story shared via Facebook warns of the dangers of allowing children to eat rice cakes.
Warning To All Parents: Don’t Let Your Children Eat Rice Cakes.
Popular rice products found in ...
- 9,000
22
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Would drinking a glass of glyphosate be harmful
In an interview Dr. Patrick Moore claimed that:
You can drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you.
He then declined the offer to drink a glass of the herbicide to prove his claim, saying:
...
- 297
7
votes
1
answer
940
views
What are the effects of a Big Mac on our bodies?
Another "effects of..." infographic is making the rounds of Facebook today about the effects of eating a Big Mac. At a cursory glance it seems to mix preposterous claims ("it takes days for you to ...
- 78.6k
2
votes
0
answers
2k
views
Does eating sweets cause you to 'spoil your appetite'? [closed]
This is a very common thing among parents to tell their children not to eat sweets or other dessert foods before a meal as it will 'spoil their appetite', in the sense that they're not going to be ...
user28632
12
votes
1
answer
8k
views
Does eating bananas prevent eyelid twitching?
I have heard many times growing up that if your eyelid is twitching, it means you need more potassium in your diet, and therefore should eat more bananas.
A quick search online finds a variety of ...
- 253
10
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Can weight gain be due to underlying health conditions?
According to the NHS (United Kingdom):
Most people put on weight because they eat and drink more calories
than they burn through everyday movement and body functions.
But in some cases, your ...
- 305
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Does eating certain food types alter your body temperature?
Many articles claim that some foods will lower your body temperature, or prevent you overheating, and others will warm your body temperature.
Some of the temperature-lowering claims are due to the ...
- 43
5
votes
1
answer
698
views
Are stomach noises normal for healthy stomachs and diets?
According to some sites, stomach noises are normal when healthy.
Fox News:
Although these noisy gurgling sounds can be uncomfortable or even embarrassing, they are generally a sign that your ...
- 485
2
votes
1
answer
652
views
Can reducing DHT by dietary means reduce or reverse hair loss?
So, I came across this video that advertises a hair-loss prevention and reversing technique. The video is very much over the top, saying that the technique reverses hair loss in every patient, ...
- 129