WEEK 2: FOOD SAFETY MYTHS AND FACTS

June 9, 2024

MYTH: YOU CAN TELL IF FOOD IS SAFE TO EAT BY ITS LOOK AND SMELL

NO!

MOST MICROORGANISMS THAT MAKE YOU SICK DO NOT CHANGE THE LOOK OR SMELL OF FOOD.

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FACT: I HAVE TO REFRIGERATE MY FOOD? 

YES! 

FOOD BECOMES UNSAFE IF LEFT AT ROOM TEMPERATURE FOR MORE THAN 2HOURS. 

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June 10, 2024

MYTH: IS FOOD DROPPED ON THE GROUND OK TO EAT IF PICKED UP IMMEDIATELY

NO!

MICROORGANISMS CAN TRANSFER TO FOOD ON CONTACT AND STILL CAUSE DISEASES IN MOST CASES.

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FACT: CAN DISH CLOTHES SPREAD DANGEROUS BACTERIA? 

YES!

DISH CLOTHES AND SPONGES CAN SPREAD DANGEROUS BACTERIA, DISINFECT THEM IN SANITIZING SOLUTION OR BOIL IN WATER.

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June 11, 2024

MYTH: YOU CAN’T GET ENOUGH PROTEIN FROM PLANT-BASED FOODS

I’m

NO! 

EVEN THOUGH PLANT-BASED FOODS GENERALLY LACK ONE OR MORE OF THE ESSENTIAL AMINO ACIDS, IT’S NOT HARD TO GET YOUR FILL OF PROTEIN FROM A PLANT-BASED DIET. 

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FACT: CAN I GET SICK FROM FOOD I ATE 5DAYS AGO? 

YES! 

SOME DANGEROUS MICROORGANISMS TAKE LONGER THAN JUST A FEW HOURS TO MAKE YOU SICK BECAUSE THEY HAVE LONGER INCUBATION PERIODS.

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June 12, 2024

MYTH: CARBS ARE BAD

NO! 

THE RIGHT TYPE OF CARBS ARE IMPORTANT FOR MAINTAINING ENERGY, FRUIT AND VEGETABLES, FOR EXAMPLE, ARE HIGH IN CARBOHYDRATES BUT ARE NUTRITIOUS FOOD CHOICES.

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FACT: THE WORLD’S MOST HATED VEGETABLE IS ONE OF THE BEST FOR YOU 

YES! 

BRUSSELS SPROUTS IS PACKED FULL OF VITAMINS AND MINERALS, HAS VIRTUALLY NO CALORIES, NO FAT, NO CHOLESTEROL, AND IT FILLS YOU UP. BETTER YET, IT ALSO HAS AN ANTI-OXIDANTS THAT HAS SHOWN TO BE ANTI-INFLAMMATORY AND COULD FIGHT CANCER.

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June 13, 2024

MYTH:
SOY-BASED FOODS ARE HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH.

NO!
CURRENT EVIDENCE DOES NOT SUPPORT THAT SOY CONSUMPTION IS HARMFUL TO PEOPLE. THE EXCEPTION MAY BE PEOPLE WHO ARE ALLERGIC TO SOY.

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FACT:
THERE’S MORE WATER IN CUCUMBER THAN WATERMELON

YES!
OKAY, NOT BY MUCH, BUT THIS IS STILL FUN TO KNOW THAT WATERMELON IS ABOUT 92% WATER, WHILE CUCUMBER IS 95%. THAT’S ACTUALLY THE SAME AS LETTUCE AND CELERY. IT’S ALSO SUPER LOW IN CALORIES, WITH JUST EIGHT PER SERVING.

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June 14, 2024

MYTH:
ORGANIC PRODUCE IS MORE NUTRITIOUS

NO!
WHILE THERE IS SOME EVIDENCE THAT ORGANIC PRODUCE HAS POTENTIAL HEALTH BENEFITS, THERE ARE NO DEFINITIVE CONCLUSIONS THAT ORGANIC IS BETTER. WHEN COMPARED WITH CONVENTIONALLY FARMED PRODUCE, ORGANIC PRODUCE HAS THE SAME VITAMINS, MINERALS, ANTIOXIDANTS, PROTEINS, LIPIDS AND OTHER NUTRIENTS.

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FACT:

THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF FOOD-BORNE ILLNESSES.

YES!
THERE ARE OVER 250 FOOD-BORNE DISEASES, ALL OF WHICH CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THREE CATEGORIES OF HAZARDS: BIOLOGICAL, CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL.

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June 15, 2024

MYTH:

EATING ONCE A DAY IS A GOOD WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT.

NO! 

INFREQUENT OR INCONSISTENT MEALTIMES CAN CAUSE YOUR BODY TO GO INTO STARVATION MODE, INSTEAD, EAT SMALLER, HEALTHIEST PORTIONS OF FOOD EVERY FEW HOURS TO PROVIDE YOUR METABOLISM WITH THE NUTRIENTS IT NEEDS.

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FACT:

UNWASHED PRODUCE IS FRESH WITH GERMS.

YES!

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES TRAVEL A LONG JOURNEY BEFORE THEY REACH YOUR COUNTER. FROM PRODUCTION TO RETAIL, YOUR PRODUCE INTERACTS WITH BILLIONS OF GERMS AND CHEMICALS.

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June 16, 2024

MYTH

FREEZING FOOD KILLS HARMFUL BACTERIA THAT CAUSES FOOD POISONING

NO! 

FREEZING ONLY PROLONGS SHELF LIFE OF THE PRODUCT AND IS NOT A SAFE METHOD FOR MAKING FOOD SAFE TO EAT.

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FACT

EVERYONE IS SUSCEPTIBLE TO FOODBORNE ILLNESS.

YES! 

ANYONE WHO EATS CONTAMINATED FOOD CAN CONTRACT A FOODBORNE ILLNESS, BUT SOME PEOPLE ARE AT AN INCREASED RISK. EATING CONTAMINATED FOODS GIVES GERMS DIRECT ACCESS TO THE STOMACH THROUGH THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM.

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