WeChat is widely used, and browsing Moments has become a daily habit for everyone. There's an endless amount of information in Moments. Have you ever fallen for any of these claims below?
Rumor 1: "Salt water can effectively remove pesticides"
Many people worry about pesticide residues on vegetables and fruits bought from the market, so they wash them in various ways before eating. The most common practice is to add salt when rinsing vegetables and fruits, believing that salt can remove pesticide residues on the skin. Some manufacturers have even specially launched fruit and vegetable washing salt.
The Truth
Salt is the king of all flavors and the most commonly used condiment. If no salt is added to cooked or cold dishes, they are simply inedible. However, the claim that "salt water can effectively remove pesticides" has no scientific basis. Because the chemical composition of salt is relatively stable and does not easily react with other chemicals, the actual agent working when soaking fruits and vegetables in salt water is water itself.
In fact, to remove pesticide residues from vegetables and fruits, it is sufficient to wash them thoroughly with clean water repeatedly. If you really want to add something to the water, you can add some alkali. Because most pesticides are acidic, soaking them in alkaline water can neutralize the reaction, making it more effective at removing pesticide residues from vegetables. Alternatively, use rice washing water, as it is weakly alkaline.
Rumor 2: "If a fruit is rotten in one spot, you can't eat any of it"
A claim that "if a fruit is rotten in one spot, you can't eat any of it" has been circulating on Weibo. It suggests that even if the rotten part is cut off, the remaining part has already been contaminated with bacterial metabolites through the fruit juice, and microorganisms have begun to multiply, with the molds potentially causing mutations in human cells and leading to cancer.
The Truth
The causes of fruit rot can be divided into three categories: decay caused by microbial infection, mechanical damage from bumps, and frostbite from low temperatures.
Fruits with frostbite or bruises have damaged cells. Without bacterial growth, such damaged fruits are relatively safe. However, due to the cell damage, amino acids, sugars, and inorganic salts leak out, providing good conditions for the growth of pathogenic microorganisms. Once a fruit with damaged cells is invaded by mold, it is indeed not suitable for consumption.
Associate Professor Fan Zhihong from China Agricultural University stated that eating fungal toxins from rotten fruit may cause dizziness, nausea, abdominal bloating, and in severe cases, can be life-threatening. However, Fan Zhihong disagrees with the claim that moldy fruit can cause cancer. Carcinogenesis is a long-term accumulation process, and it's unlikely that people would eat such moldy fruit long-term.
Rumor 3: "Fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach, best in the morning"
Fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach, best in the morning. As the saying goes: fruit in the morning is gold, from noon to 3 PM is silver, from 3 PM to 6 PM is copper, and after 6 PM is lead.
The Truth
Whether eaten alone, with other foods, or after other foods, the nutritional content of fruit does not change. This rumor expands the individual adverse reactions of a few people to the entire population. For healthy people, there is no time restriction for eating fruit.
The problem we face now is more about whether we eat enough fruit, rather than whether the timing is right. Additionally, it's important to note that while eating more fruit, you should moderately reduce the intake of other foods; otherwise, it will lead to excessive total energy intake and increase the risk of obesity.
Rumor 4: "Sour Plum Drink can lower blood fat and aid in weight loss"
Some canned or bottled sour plum drinks on the market claim to be made from pure natural ingredients like dark plum and hawthorn, without any chemical additives. They are said to be greasy-cutting, blood fat-lowering, and helpful for weight loss.
The Truth
Traditional sour plum soup is mainly made by boiling dark plum, hawthorn, water, and sugar. Both dark plum and hawthorn are alkaline foods. However, our body has a very powerful regulatory system to keep body fluids within a precise, slightly alkaline range.
For the average person, it is difficult for a normal diet to change the body's acidity or alkalinity. The dark color of dark plum mainly comes from polyphenolic antioxidants. Research has found that fresh dark plum is rich in polyphenolic substances, with the total antioxidant content in 100 grams of fresh dark plum being about 175-345 mg. However, current research evidence does not prove that these antioxidant components can help with weight loss. Moreover, very little dark plum is used to make sour plum soup, so the amount of antioxidants in the soup is minimal.
Some studies have found that feeding rats with ursolic acid, an extract from dark plum, can lower their blood lipid levels. However, there is little evidence from human studies. A Japanese study on humans concluded that dark plum extract cannot lower blood lipids. This is because the amount of dark plum extract used in animal experiments is very large, while the amount obtained from drinking sour plum soup is much less.
Rumor 5: "Diabetics cannot eat fruit"
Diabetics cannot eat fruit because fruits are high in sugar and are very easily digested, causing blood sugar to rise quickly.
The Truth
The glycemic index of most fruits is not high, and their glycemic load is generally low, so they can be consumed by diabetics. The first dietary recommendation for diabetics from the American Diabetes Association is to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables. The key is for diabetics to pay close attention to controlling their total carbohydrate intake. When eating fruit, they must reduce the intake of staple foods to keep the total daily caloric intake constant.
In addition, diabetics should avoid drinking fruit juice, as it usually loses some dietary fiber, and its glycemic response is higher than that of whole fruit.
So, have you also believed these rumors? Ignorance is no crime. Now that you know these are all false, hurry and tell your friends around you. Don't blindly trust rumors. Moments are not to be trusted; don't get yourself into trouble.