Myth: If I’m a woman and I don’t want to “bulk up,” I should lift lighter weights to get toned muscles.

Answer: Busted!

Muscle tone is a quack term that is often used in exercise infomercials. It can’t be measured, so infomercials can promise increased muscle tone without risk. The appearance of strong muscles can only be accomplished through strength training (weight lifting) and a minimal layer of fat over the muscles. This is best accomplished through a healthy diet and increased physical activity. It is not possible for women to “bulk up” in the sense that men can. Men have high levels of the hormone testosterone, which enables them to build more muscle than women. Most women can begin strength training with a pair of two or three pound dumbbells and work up to higher weights over time.

Strength training does more than improve your looks. It will lead to stronger bones which reduces the risk of osteoporosis and fractures; improve blood cholesterol and blood sugar; improve posture; decrease back pain; improve arthritis pain; and even improve mood and self confidence.

If you’re interested in beginning an exercise routine, check your Physical Activity Readiness and look for a Stay Strong, Stay Healthy program in your area to learn the basics of strength training.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: If I leave food sitting on the counter for too long, it will be safe if I reheat it to very hot temperatures.

Answer: Busted!

While some bacteria can be killed by temperatures above 140° F, other bacteria such as staphylococcus (Staph) release toxins (poisons) into the food. These toxins cannot be destroyed by high cooking temperatures and are capable of making you and your family very sick. Unfortunately, if food is left on the counter for longer than 2 hours, it is no longer safe to eat and needs to be thrown out.

As the holidays are almost upon us, remember this and other simple food safety rules to keep harmful bacteria off the holiday menu.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about food safety.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: Children should finish all of the food on their plates before leaving the table.

Answer: Busted!

Children should never be forced to eat. It’s the parent’s responsibility to provide healthy and nutritious food for regularly scheduled meals and snacks, but the child should decide how much food he or she is going to eat. Forcing children to eat or asking them to “take two more bites” interferes with their ability to control how much to eat. When children don’t learn to regulate their food intake based on hunger or fullness, it can set them up for struggles with overweight and obesity later in life.

If you have a child who is a picky eater, don’t underestimate the role you play in modeling that behavior. If your child can see that you won’t eat broccoli, chances are he or she won’t either. Try sitting down to eat meals as a family. Children who regularly eat meals with their family eat more fruits and vegetables and less fried food, saturated fat, and drink less soda that children who do not.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about Making Mealtime Pleasant with Young Children. For easy fruit and vegetable dishes, try the Seasonal and Simple Cookbook.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: If you get sick as a result of a foodborne illness, it was caused by the last food that you ate.

Answer: Busted!

It can take anywhere from a half hour to 6 weeks to become sick from unsafe foods, depending on the type of microorganism that made you sick. Therefore, it can often be very difficult to know the source of your illness. Causes and symptoms of specific types of foodborne illness can be found at FightBac.org.

If you always practice safe food handling techniques when preparing and eating food, you can significantly reduce your chances of getting a foodborne illness:

1. Keep your hands and surfaces clean. Most people know they should wash their hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds, but it is just as important to wash your cutting boards, dishes, utensils, and counter tops with hot soapy water. Bacteria can easily spread throughout the kitchen if hands and cooking equipment are not cleaned properly.
2. Separate raw foods from ready-to-eat foods. This should start at the grocery store and continue through food preparation. Keep raw meat, poultry, seafood, and eggs away from ready-to-eat foods in your shopping cart, grocery bags, and refrigerator. After the food is cooked, make sure to always place cooked food on a clean plate.
3. Cook food to proper temperatures. The only way to know for sure if a food is safely cooked is to check the temperature with a food thermometer. See the Heat it Up chart for safe cooking temperatures.
4. Chill foods promptly. Refrigerating foods quickly will slow the growth of harmful bacteria. Two hours is the maximum amount of time that perishable foods can sit at room temperature before they become unsafe to eat.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about food safety.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: I need to lower my blood cholesterol, so I should stop eating foods with dietary cholesterol like seafood and meat.

Answer: Busted!

Although cholesterol is found in seafood and meat, new research has shown that dietary cholesterol has little effect on increasing blood cholesterol. However, saturated fats and trans fats play a major role in raising blood cholesterol. Saturated fats are typically solid at room temperature, such as butter, coconut oil, fat in cheese and the fat you can see in meat. Trans fats are most often found in processed foods, packaged snack foods, some margarines and deep-fried foods. Thankfully, some food manufacturers have recently started decreasing the amount of trans fats used in processed foods.

To have the biggest impact on lowering your blood cholesterol, make changes in your diet and look for foods that have “0 grams of saturated fat” and “0 grams of trans fat” on the nutrition facts panel. Although some meats are a source of saturated fat, there are plenty of lean sources such as chicken without the skin, turkey without the skin, and any cut of meat with the word “loin” in it (for example, tenderloin, short loin, sirloin, top loin, etc.).

If you’re over the age of 20, make sure to have your cholesterol numbers checked at least every five years, and more often if you have a family history.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about nutrition and health.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: Eating too much sugar will cause diabetes.

Answer: Busted!

Diabetes is caused by genetic and lifestyle factors. Type 1 diabetes is usually diagnosed in children and young adults and it is caused when the immune system begins attacking the body’s own cells in the pancreas that normally produce insulin. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes. It is the result of either the body not producing enough insulin or body cells ignoring the insulin. The body needs insulin in order to take the sugar (glucose) from the blood and bring it into cells that will use it for energy. Without enough insulin, or the body ignoring the insulin, sugar builds up in the blood.

It is not eating sugar in itself that leads to diabetes. There are many factors involved. Eating more calories than your body needs of any type of food can lead to weight gain. Being overweight and doing little daily physical activity are both risk factors for developing type 2 diabetes. Having a close family member with diabetes will also put you at a higher risk for developing diabetes. However, making small lifestyle changes such as improving your diet and increasing your daily physical activity will greatly reduce your chances of developing the condition.

For more information about diabetes and what you can do prevent it, see Important information about type 2 diabetes.

Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information about nutrition and health.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: If you soak a chicken bone in soda for several days, it will start to dissolve.

Answer: Confirmed!

Soda contains acids such as phosphoric acid and citric acid. If a bone is left to soak for an extended period of time, the acid will begin to weaken its structure. If you allow the bone to soak for a week or more, you’ll find that the bone becomes bendable, and once the bone is allowed to dry completely, it will become dry and brittle.

Although the acid in soda won’t directly damage the bones in your body, it can directly damage your teeth. When tooth enamel is exposed to the acid, it weakens the tooth and makes it prone to decay and breakage. Soda can have a negative effect on bone when you replace milk or other high calcium drinks with sugary soft drinks. Your bones won’t get the calcium they need to be strong. Drinking too much soda can also contribute to weight gain because it’s loaded with sugar and it’s easy to drink a lot in a short period of time. Stick to water or low-fat milk and your teeth, bones and waistline will thank you.

Visit the Missouri Families website for more information about nutrition and health.

Contributor: Mary Wissmann, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, St. Louis County, University of Missouri Extension, WissmannM@missouri.edu

Myth: I need to do my work-out for at least 30 minutes every day. I cannot split it up into smaller time slots.

Answer: Busted

It is recommended that adults get at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense physical activity on most days of the week for health benefits. Research has shown that the activity does not need to be done all at one time. You can split your workout into smaller time slots and still have the same health benefits. For example, you can do 2 15-minute workout sessions or even 3 10-minute sessions. While on lunch break, walk with a coworker around the building for 10 to 15 minutes. This is a great way to hold a short meeting or have some social time!

Regular physical activity has many benefits such as building self-confidence, increasing fitness levels, improving strength and flexibility, managing weight, controlling blood pressure, and building strong bones and muscles. Exercise is also a great stress reliever. Increasing the time or intensity of the workout has additional health benefits.

Visit the MyPyramid website for more information on types of physical activity and how it will benefit you. Visit the MissouriFamilies website for more information on health and fitness.

Guest Contributor: Eva Hightaian, Nutrition Intern at the University of Missouri
Co-Author: Donna Mehrle, MPH, RD, LD, mehrled@missouri.edu, University of Missouri Extension