Misconceptions about Health Food - mental_floss on YouTube (Ep. 27)

The myths around healthy food and misconceptions about what actually is healthy are as numerous as the "super foods" which have been promised to cure every ailment. Whether honest misconceptions about healthy food or profit-driven healthy food myths, you'll learn facts about artificial sweeteners and buzzwords like "natural."

Misconceptions is a weekly show where we debunk common misconceptions. This week, Elliott discusses some misconceptions about health food!

Want more of Elliott?

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[katiekossow]

I was glad that you mentioned that organic foods aren't any healthier until you said that since they have more antioxidants, people should keep eating organic. I'm a food scientist, and that is actually another misconception. While antioxidants are good, it's debatable whether or not we need to go out of our way to consume additional antioxidants since we consume enough in a balanced diet. Actually, too many antioxidants can have the opposite affect and can perpetuate the presence of free radicals in the body.

[adambrown]

When buying Margarine, or any food for that matter, that says it has no trans fats in it, double check the ingredient list. If there is hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oil in it, it still has trans fats in it. They can get a way with saying it has no trans fats in it if, per serving, it has under 0.5 g of trans fat. And since they can set whatever serving size they want, they can ensure it will have under 0.5 g of trans fat.

[kaycieromano]

I feel like people don't understand completely what processing is. Yes it is adding dyes and other artificial stuff, but processing is also cleaning it, cutting it up, etc. Not all processed foods are bad.

[inkedinRl]

I only eat all natural, local Cheetos

[TheCuriousNoob]

Local can mean: "Local to the North American continent" like the locally-sourced bananas from Guatemala at my local supermarket. 1, 500 miles is kind of local, right?

[jennabrandis]

Who's watching this for health class

[spyderxtra]

The father mole stuck his head out of the hole and said "I smell maple syrup" hearing this, the mother mole stuck her head out next to father mole and said "well I smell honey", naturally curious, the baby mole tried to stick his head out to have a smell, but there was just no more room to squeeze passed his parents, frustrated, he said "I don't know about you guys, but all I smell is molasses"

[realspacemodels]

Slate's "The Gist" podcast just this week, did a segment on artificial sweeteners and they pointed out that when you taste sweet, your brain sets up your metabolism to process sugar. But artificial sweeteners don't get absorbed,  and therefore provide no calories, and you end up feeling hungrier and then eat more. This leads to weight gain.

[MrSideliner]

Misconceptions about the heath benefits of being Vegan.

[DampeSN]

There is a correlation/causation issue with artificial sweeteners correlating with weight gain. Wouldn't people who are gaining weight or are overweight be more likely to consume diet soda or artificial sweeteners in an attempt to lose weight? So the correlation is meaningless.

[TomeuRamisBou]

Hey! I'm a med student and my biochemistry professors told us that some "artificial" sweeteners do activate a glucose channel (GLUT4, I think) in the little intestine. That, in turn, makes it way easier for our digestive system to uptake glucose (among other monosaccharides) and send it to the bloodstream. As we rarely use sweeteners in absence of food containing glucose that could explain why people who use them instead of regular sugar tend to increase their bodyweight.

[yellwducks]

Elliot I am a first aid tutor and everyday I get all sorts of misconceptions about first aid, from tomatoes on burns, honey/vinegar/baking soda for bee stings to pee for jellyfish (thanks Friends).

I would love an episode on first aid misconceptions what actually works what doesn't and where on earth people are getting these ideas from.

[Hamstray]

misconception #1: "health foods" are healthier than regular food.
misconception #2: local / organic foods don't totally have a higher environmental impact than regular food.

[JessRushworth]

studies have shown that we have plenty enough antioxidants in a regular diet and that we really don't need a lot. just because a food is high in antioxidants, doesn't make it healthy!

[lichqueenlilith]

Welp! Looks like I'm not gonna be putting agave syrup in my tea anymore… *pulls out a bowl of sugar cubes*

[Scionica]

Curious to know why insulin sensitivity was left out during the artificial sweetener bit, great vid regardless.

[bitsRboolean]

At 3:21 you say that 'butter contains cholesterol' but it should be noted that no study has correlated dietary cholesterol with blood cholesterol levels in healthy people.

[TemperanceRaziel]

There is no good reason to eat organic.  You will pay double the price and increase your risk of e. coli and salmonella.  Organic also uses about 30% more farmland to grow the same number of crops, thereby harming the environment.

[Grymyrk]

I've never in my life seen a bread that's been dyed brown, Maybe only in America.

[ohohvalerie]

I have such a crush on you Elliot. I smile every time you introduce yourself