As a huge fan of Mythbusters on the Discovery Channel, I couldn’t help but compile all the food myths I’ve been hearing about through the show and on the internet.
If you’ve never seen Mythbusters, it’s an off-beat science show that features former special effects dudes, Adam Savage and Jamie Hyneman who take on urban legends and myths to find out if they hold water. After their (often crazy) experiments, they debunk or “bust” a myth or prove it to be true.
So, here on the Zeer Blog, I decided to bring you 7 Grocery Store Myths that have been “Busted” by modern scientists and even the Mythbusters team.
Pain from eating hot peppers can be cured by milk. – CONFIRMED
On Mythbusters, Tory, Kari & Grant tested out various cures that have mythically been described to cure pain from eating hot peppers and rate them between 1-10. Both parties claimed milk was a 5 possibly due to the fats that milk contain which helped to reduce discomfort. Some of the other cures were water, beer, tequila, and toothpaste, petroleum jelly, and even wasabi all were not effective as milk.
A person can stop a sulfuric acid leak with chocolate and hot water. – CONFIRMED
On a MacGuyver Myth promo, Kari & Grand demonstrate how the myth was possible because the chemicals and sugars in the chocolate work react to plug up the leak
A beef steak can be tenderized … in a laundry dryer – CONFIRMED
In Episode 103, Adam & Jamie test all the ways that you can tenderize a steak including explosives, shooting it with explosives, and … in a laundry dryer. All three methods were confirmed, but in the laundry dryer experiment they used protective shells to protect the steak as well as steel ball bearings, dry ice kept the steaks cool overnight in a running dryer. Their tenderness was tested by cutting several steaks in half with one half being the control and the other half being exposed the three tenderizing processes. The tenderness was then tested using an USDA approved pressure-sensitive cutting device. They were all found to be significantly more tender than the control half of the steak.
Vodka Can Cure Foot Odor – CONFIRMED
On Mythbusters, Grant smells Adam’s bare feet as the control, then gives it a number on a scale from 1-10. Both were a 7. Then, Adam’s feet were washed by Kari. One was washed with commercial foot wash and the other was washed with vodka. Then Grant smelled his feet and rated the one washed with commercial soap a 5 while the vodka washed foot smelt significantly better at .75.
Fresh Vegetables Are Better Than Frozen Vegetables - BUSTED
New research suggests that fresh vegetables aren’t as good for you as frozen vegetables if they’re flash frozen right after they’re harvested, which means that vegetables are frozen quickly and nutrients are not likely to degrade. Meanwhile, fresh veggies start losing their nutrients the minute they’re exposed to air. The FDA even recommends that you mix canned, frozen & fresh vegetables so that you get the 5 nutrients you need in a day.
It Doesn’t Matter What Carton of Milk You Pick - BUSTED
Supermarkets like to push the milk forward in the grocery store so that they get rid of it faster, so if you’re patient, take the time to dig to the back of the grocery store case to get the freshest milk they have. It’s the same price either way.
All Products Labeled Organic are made with ONLY Organic Materials – BUSTED
As I talked about in article one of my Zeer Green Team series, that little USDA label only means that the product was made with 95% organic materials and there are 38 approved un-organic materials that manufactures can use and still call a product simple “organic.” However, only products that use 100% organic materials will say so, but if they have a black or green USDA label, they may only 95% organic. Title: —- Five S
For more fun grocery shopping myths, be sure to check out:
10 Myths on Saving Money at the Grocery Store
10 Diet & Nutrition Myths
10 Grocery Shopping Myths
