1. Carrots make you see better in the dark
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You've probably heard the age-old myth that if you eat carrots, you will improve your ability to see in the dark. And although carrots are actually good for your eye health because they are rich in the compound beta carotene and vitamin A, this myth was actually popularized by the Air Ministry during WWII. This was to prevent the Germans from finding out that the British were using radar to intercept bombers on night raids!
2. Oysters are an aphrodisiac
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Raw oysters are often associated with having aphrodisiac properties, along with wild oats and chocolate. And although these shellfish have been found to be highly nutritious, science has not yet proven their effects on improving sexual performance or desire. But they do say that the French adventurer, Casanova, used to eat up to 50 oysters every day!
3. Eating cheese before bed gives you nightmares
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Eating cheese before you go to bed has often been said to give you nightmares. But science has found that it actually has nothing to do with cheese in particular. We mean, when has cheese ever been spooky? The truth is, sources have found that if you go to bed on a full stomach, you might spend more time in REM sleep which is when you dream!
4. An apple a day keeps the doctor away
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An apple a day keeps the doctor away... Wait, really?! In truth, this is an English proverb that was first coined at the start of the 20th century, meaning that if you eat healthy foods, you'll be healthy. However, although apples provide many health benefits, eating them excessively can cause a few problems in the digestive department!
5. Eating crusts makes your hair curly
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The origin of this particular myth is largely unknown but it is actually thought to have been coined at least 300 years ago. But the idea that eating your crusts makes your hair curly is absolutely false. Curly hair or no curly hair, it's all about your genetic makeup, not what you eat!
6. Spinach makes you as strong as Popeye
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You might remember that old cartoon Popeye who ate his spinach and grew big strong muscles, but as you might have guessed, Popeye was more than a bit of an exaggeration. Because although spinach is a nutritious leafy vegetable, it's not going to give you instant superhuman strength. And did you know that there was a decimal point error in the iron content of spinach so it was once thought it had way more iron than it actually does?
7. Noodles must never be cut while eating
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In China, it is actually considered really bad luck to cut your noodles. This is because in Chinese philosophy, noodles represent a long life, and this means that the longer your noodle, the longer your life is believed to be. So if you cut it shorter... guess what happens?
8. Sage can make you immortal
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Sage has been used in practically every ancient culture for different medicinal purposes, including relieving pain after childbirth, flushing the body of toxins, and curing common colds and fevers. But in Roman and Arab societies, physicians thought sage could actually make you live forever.
9. More alcohol cures a hangover
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Many people who drink alcohol have probably heard the saying "the hair of the dog that bit you". If you're not, this refers to the practice of drinking more alcohol the morning after a night on the town to help you to avoid your hangover. But while this might temporarily relieve you of a banging headache, in truth, you're just prolonging the discomfort.
10. Salt is the devil's condiment
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Have you ever seen someone toss spilled salt over their shoulder and wonder why on Earth they would even do that?! Well, this practice comes from Europe and it derives from the superstition that if spilled salt isn't thrown over your shoulder, then the devil will attack you and steal your soul. And it has to be over the left shoulder in particular because he is said to be more likely to attack from the rear left side...
11. Coffee stunts your growth
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Ever wondered why you were never allowed to drink coffee as a child? Well, there is this well-known myth that if a growing child consumes coffee or any other highly caffeinated beverage, it will stunt their growth! But it doesn't and the truth is, many believe that this myth might come from it suppressing your appetite temporarily.
12. "The 5-second rule"
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The 5-second rule (or the two-minute rule in some households) is a food hygiene myth that gives you a short window to pick up the food that you dropped on the floor to eat it without getting any sinister germs. And yes, someone did actually do a study on this and found that there is actually a transfer of germs. She also found that people were more likely to pick up and eat dropped cookies than cauliflower too... interesting!
13. You need to wait an hour after eating to swim or you'll drown
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You might be pleased to know that, no, you do not have to wait any amount of time after you eat to swim through fear of drowning. The fear is that the muscles in your limbs won't work properly because the blood flow is diverted to your stomach for digestion, causing you to drown. But there are no documented deaths from this at all.
14. It takes years for your body to digest gum if you swallow it
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Common folklore suggests that it takes up to seven years for gum to leave your stomach after swallowing it. And to be honest, it's a pretty useful myth designed to prevent our kids from swallowing gum. But scientists have found that it will usually take around seven days for gum to pass through your system. Phew!
15. Twinkies last forever
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If you've seen Zombieland, it seems that the Twinkies have outlasted the humans. And some rumors maintain that they would survive nuclear war, but is this true? Well, no, unfortunately not. The shelf life of a Twinkie is less than a month! Sad times...
16. Eating chocolate causes acne
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Chocolate has taken the blame for people's acne breakouts for a long time, but the truth is, there is absolutely no evidence at all that eating chocolate causes spots. There's even evidence that cutting out chocolate doesn't get rid of your acne too! But it is important to note that newer studies are beginning to find more links between your diet and skin conditions.
17. Never bring a banana on a boat
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In many traditions, bringing a banana on a boat is just bad. Even if it is just an image of a banana, just don't bring one... And it is thought that this comes from when bananas were transported on ships, if they sank, they would be the only objects clearly visible and floating on the surface. So since then, it has been considered that if you bring a banana on a boat, it might sink, or the fish won't bite. Either way, it's not good news!
18. Two yolks are lucky
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It's not often that you get two yolks when you crack your egg into the pan. And if you do, you're in luck! Two yolks mean different things depending on which tradition you follow from being lucky, fertile, having twins, getting married, to even death!
19. Bananas grow on trees
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Contrary to popular belief, bananas don't actually grow on trees. In fact, it might really surprise you to learn that they're actually classified officially as huge herbs or plants! And they're related to the lily and orchid family and grow from a bulb or rhizome rather than a seed.
20. Drinking alcohol makes you warm
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When you drink alcohol, you might have experienced a warm feeling and leave your jacket at home. But what happens when you drink alcoholic beverages is that the blood vessels below your skin open up so more blood and heat can flow through them. But this just takes the blood and heat away from your core, lowering your core temperature.
21. Eating celery burns more calories than it provides
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You might've heard that eating watery foods like celery and apples actually burns more calories than you're taking in. It's the idea that chewing the food burns more calories than the food itself. But this has been proven to be absolute nonsense. In fact, have you ever heard of a negative calorie food?!
22. Eating carrots prevents sunburn
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So carrots are not only good for your eyes but they also contain compounds that are really beneficial for your skin. Beta-carotene is a strong anti-oxidant that has been found to reduce your reaction to sunburn. But, again, you shouldn't rely on carrots alone to protect your skin from the sun's harmful rays.
23. Aspartame gives you cancer
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Aspartame is an artificial sweetener used in diet or zero-sugar fizzy drinks and it has had a really bad rap in recent years because people have believed that it causes cancer. However, scientists haven't found a link between aspartame and cancer, and the European Food Safety Authority has ruled the sweeteners safe in moderation.
24. Carbonated drinks dissolve your bones
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Now this is a strange one, but you might be able to see why people were worried. You see, people have believed that drinking carbonated drinks that contain caffeine or phosphoric acid will cause you to absorb less calcium and develop weaker bones or osteoporosis. But there has been no link found between these at all.
25. Frozen fruits and vegetables are less nutritious than fresh ones
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Some people believe that frozen fruit and vegetable are less nutritious than fresh ones. However, it is probably the other way around! You see, fruit and vegetable start to lose their nutrients as soon as they are picked, so freezing them can help to preserve them better!
26. Brown eggs are healthier than white ones
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No matter what color the shells of your eggs are, whether they're brown, white, or even blue, it does not affect how healthy they are. The color of the shell does not actually affect the nutrition of the egg so, really, there is no nutritional difference between a white egg and a brown egg.
27. Microwaving food diminishes its nutritional value
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Many people believe that microwaving food will make food less healthy and diminish its nutritional value. But studies (and common sense) have found that microwave cooking is actually the least likely method of cooking to diminish the nutrients in food because food is generally cooked for a much shorter time.
28. Eating fruit pips will make trees grow in your stomach
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Now this probably goes without saying, but if you eat a pip from an apple or a watermelon seed, you're not going to get a tree growing in your stomach with its branches emerging from your ears and nostrils. In fact, your stomach acid will see that the pip doesn't make it too far before it dissolved!
29. Eating a raw fish will result in it swimming in your stomach
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Whether they're raw or not, generally speaking, once you've eaten a fish, it won't come back to life and swim around in your stomach. You might be more at risk of food poisoning or getting parasites. If you swallow a live fish though, you might just risk some stomach cramps or it swimming back up your esophagus, and nobody wants that!
30. Eating bread, especially the crusts, makes you a better singer
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The crusts of bread don't only (apparently) give you curly hair, but they are also said to make you a better singer if you eat them... We're not sure about this but there might be more to a bread crust than meets the crumb! In fact, studies have found that the chemical released during the baking process can protect against bowel cancer!