The Top 15 Myths About Produce

An apple a day keeps the doctor away?  Carrots help you see in the dark?  Well, those are not myths.  But there are many myths about produce.  Here are just 15. 

1. Eating fruits and vegetables is expensive.  Fruits and vegetables are often cheaper than high-priced convenience foods. A convenience-store small bag of snack chips is about $0.99 and a banana is about $0.69.  Produce isn’t expensive.  Throwing them away is expensive.  Know how to store them.  Most important, USE THEM!
2. “Organic produce contains more vitamins than fruit grown with pesticides” – While some studies show that organic produce does contain higher levels of vitamins and minerals, others show there is no significant difference. All produce, however it is grown, provides useful amounts of vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
3. Fruits and vegetables take too much time to prepare.  Fruits and vegetables are the “original fast food” and many are ready-to-eat—like baby carrots, salad in a bag, or a fresh piece of fruit. Can peeling the wrapper off a fruit bar really compare to peeling the skin off a banana?
4. Fruits and vegetables spoil too quickly, so buying them is a waste. Many fresh fruits and vegetables, like apples, sweet potatoes, and oranges, can last several weeks.  And frozen fruits and vegetables, which are just as healthy and convenient as fresh vegetables, can last for months in the freezer.  
5. “Pesticide residues in produce increases the risk of cancer” – Experts agree that health benefits associated with eating more fruit and vegetables far outweighs any potential risk from pesticides.
6. “Fruits have too many carbs…too much sugar and will make you fat.”  Not all carbs are created equal.  Bad carbs are the refined sugar and grains in our diet.  Most of these carbohydrates enter your bloodstream at warp speed, causing "sugar highs" and "sugar lows."  Plus, they are about as nutritionally beneficial as cardboard.   Carbohydrates from fresh fruit are replete with vitamins and minerals, the very nutrients that keep you attractive and healthy. Fruit is, by far, our most perfect food. 80% or more of your calories should come from fresh sweet fruit. Eating fruit supplies you with maximum energy as it digests quickly, requiring almost no effort or energy from your body. It heals and cleanses your body, aiding in detoxification. It will not make you fat. Fresh fruit is rich in water, nutrients, and fiber. It enters your bloodstream slowly, so you will not experience the "sugar highs" and "sugar lows" associated with bad carbohydrates as long as you eat a low-fat diet.
7. Fruits and vegetables aren’t filling.  Most fruits and vegetables are high in fiber, which helps keep you full longer than most low-fiber, high-calorie snacks.
8. Avocados are too fatty to be healthy?  Avocados are actually one of the healthiest fruits grown on earth.  Loaded with folate, Vitamin E, Lutien and other very powerful anti-oxidants.  For a healthy diet, it is important to reduce the amount of saturated fat you consume. Avocados, however, contain monounsaturated fat. This type of fat has a positive effect on blood cholesterol levels.
9. Fresh is always Best.  While fresh will have more vitamins and minerals, frozen and canned will provide just as much.  We need 6 – 9 servings a day.  If that means your budget can only afford frozen or canned, then go for it. 
10. Press on a Cantaloupe’s end to see if it’s ripe.  What if you are the 50th person to press on the Cantaloupe’s end?
11. If the inner leaf of a Pineapple comes out easily, it’s ripe.  No.  That’s simply a sign of old age.  What happens to your hair when you get older?  That’s right.  It falls out.
12. Buy Peaches and Nectarines with a lot of red color.  Americans are always suckers for red.  The red blush was actually hybred into Peaches and Nectarines to sell more.  What you look for is the color behind the red blush.
13. Get the boiling water for the Sweet Corn right now.  That was the corn of our grandparents.  They would get the water boiling, pick the corn and rush it in the house to cook.  Today, Sweet Corn has much more sugar and the sugar takes much longer to turn to starch, so it stays sweeter longer.
14. Brussels Sprouts smell too awful to eat.  That’s actually from overcooking your Brussels Sprouts.  Remember the 7-minute rule.  Besides, these newer varieties are bred to be sweeter and milder.
15. Put a match in your mouth to keep from crying when you cut the Onions.  That’s actually an old wive’s tale.  Slowing down the molecular movement of the sulfuric compounds in the Onion is what you want to do.  You do that by two things.  First, use a very sharp knife.  Second, put the Onion in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes before you cut it.