20 food facts that will change how you eat

People have a knee-jerk reaction to the term “processed foods,” but they’re not all bad. It just depends on the level and kind of processing, says Gorin. Take 100 percent grape juice, for example. Because it is made by pressing whole Concord grapes (including the skin, seeds, and pulp), it makes the heart-healthy and immune-boosting nutrients in those fruits – which are fairly short-lived in terms of their growing season – much more accessible, she explains. Similarly, cooking tomatoes actually increases the bioavailability of lycopene, the cancer-fighting compound in them, making some packaged products a great option. There’s even research suggesting that steaming broccoli can lift levels of health-promoting antioxidant compounds.

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Manufacturers can use the blanket term “natural flavourings” on food labels. This could include castoreum, aka secretions from the anal gland of beavers, says Zeitlin. Yup, that’s natural. Castoreum, which is still sometimes found in small amounts in some products containing alcohol, has been used in chewing gum, ice cream (usually vanilla and strawberry), puddings, brownie mixes and some hard sweets. It’s earned the FDA’s “generally recognised as safe” (or GRAS) status, but vegans and people with a high ick factor may want to beware or stick to sweets with other ingredients.

Coffee may be the number one source of antioxidants in the American diet, according to a study on coffee published in the journal Molecules. Antioxidants, as you may have heard while learning about other food facts, help fight off ageing, heart disease and cancer. But before you go for that second cup, remember this: Coffee isn’t a super-rich source of the free-radical-slaying substance; it just comes out on top because so many people drink so much of it. Load up on leafy greens, berries and nuts to get your fill.

Some food facts just make you smile: Yes, tossing back a brew or two – specifically Guinness – may help keep your teeth sparkling, according to a study published in the Journal of Biomedicine and Biotechnology. Researchers discovered that beer helped prevent the growth of bacteria that leads to tooth decay and gum disease. Previous research found that the silicon in beer may promote strong bones, so it looks like milk’s got some competition – no, not really. And you still need to brush your teeth, by the way.

And you thought cricket protein bars were bad. In 2017, researchers at the University of Southern Denmark developed a method for drying the tentacled sea creatures out to a crispy, paper-thin consistency, not unlike a chip. No word on how soon they’ll show up in your local convenience store or in what flavours, but you can always hope.

This may be one of the grossest food facts that is sadly true. The slimy little creatures are totally alive as they slide down your throat because dead oysters are not safe to eat. Once an oyster is plucked from the deep blue sea, their life span is extremely short, which means that restaurants need to get them on your plate ASAP. Live oysters are the only safe ones to eat because dead oysters harbour large amounts of bacteria that will make you sick, according to Safe Oysters.

As if you needed another reason to save leftovers, the Institute of Food Technologists found that chemical reactions within food may continue to take place well after you cook and store it away. This means that your food may taste even better the second time around. Food proteins may continue to break down and release amino acids like glutamate, which gives food its savoury taste. You may also notice that your leftovers start to brown in the microwave. The browning effect happens when the amino acids react with sugar to produce new flavour molecules.

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Sea salt is often hailed as the healthier, low-sodium alternative to table salt. You may think you’re eating smarter by sprinkling sea salt on your roasted vegetables instead of table salt. But the truth is that table salt and most sea salts contain about 40 percent sodium by weight. In other words, no real health difference – sorry, sea salt advocates.

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People who eat spicy food almost every day tend to live longer than people who only eat spicy foods once a week, according to a study published in the British journal TheBMJ. The researchers looked at the health and diets of nearly 500,000 people in China for four years and followed up a few years later. But keep in mind that the study doesn’t say that eating spicy foods gives you a few extra years of life; it just shows that people who ate spicy foods during the study period were less likely to die than those who ate spicy foods less frequently. The study was conducted by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health, and the Harvard Health Letter points out that other investigators have found that ingredients in spicy foods such as capsaicin may help lower unhealthy fats in the blood (LDL cholesterol and triglycerides) and ease inflammation.

Before you start to freak out, the effect usually lasts only for a few hours or the remainder of the day. Plus, some people experience a burning, prickly sensation eating a pineapple, while others do not. The culprit behind that prickly feeling on your tongue is bromelain, an enzyme that breaks down proteins. Cooking pineapple or cutting it up and letting it sit overnight will lessen the attack of bromelain because the enzyme does break down with time or heat. Make sure you also avoid eating the core – that’s where most of the bromelain hides.