1. Olives are prohibited in diets for weight loss

No. Contrary to what is thought olives may be used as equivalent. For example: instead of using in the salad a tablespoon of oil (equivalent to 10 g and 100 calories) 18 olives could be eaten. Even for those who want to limit salt intake, there are low-sodium olives.

So this is the first of the myths about food that we expose today.

2. Eating carrots improves vision

Yes. Carrots, along with leafy greens, squash and peaches are rich in vitamin A. And now we know that a vitamin A deficiency produces less light vision (night blindness). Sometimes myths about food have some truth, and anyway, eating vegetables is always good for you.

3. An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Yes, because it lowers blood cholesterol levels and provides potassium, vitamins C and E. It also increases the body’s defenses. Oh, I’m loving these myths about food!

4. You have to drink at least 2 liters of water per day

Yes, this is basic. When the proportion of water in the body improves kidney function and detoxification capacity and defense increases. One of the myths about food that is worth following.

5. Pepper is better than salt

Some myths about food need to be clarified here. While it doesn’t increase blood pressure, for its high irritating property is not recommended for people with stomach, hemorrhoidal problems or when you have diverticula in the intestine.

6. Tea and matte are digestive

It is not proven. Yes there are herbal teas (tisanes) that aid in digestion. But as for these two, they stay in the list of the myths about food we still don’t know for sure.

7. Take vitamin C at night can cause insomnia

False. Vitamin C is an antioxidant, promotes wound healing and is useful in the treatment of respiratory infections. It has no side effect associated with insomnia. So there goes one more of the myths about food you can cross out as false.

8. Banana makes you fat

Is relative: a small banana (100 grams) has the same calories as an apple 150 grams. So yes, eating 10 bananas a day might not be a good idea. But so much for those myths about food, enjoy a banana today.

9. Coffee keeps you awake

Yes, because it has caffeine, a alkaloid substance that is exhilarating. A good solution to avoid sleepless nights is decaffeinated coffee that has only 3 mg of caffeine per cup against the 75 and 150 mg per cup of regular coffee. So yes, coffee, myths about food and insomnia are related, of course I know people who drink a cup of coffee and inmediately fall asleep.

10. After eating you have to wait two hours before getting in the water

It depends on what you’ve eaten. If you ate a sandwich or a small fruit nothing will happen, but if it was a huge barbecue with salad and dessert, the digestive process is altered. It can result from a simple indigestion to a greater disorder with loss of consciousness. More than one of the myths about food, you must learn to be cautious too.