"myths" news and stories

Legends, tall tales, good stories, myths...whatever you call them, the drinking world is full of them. Here are a few favorites to debunk:

MYTH: Beer before liquor, never been sicker -- liquor before beer, you're in the clear.
TRUTH: This is a cute jingle, but not reality. The percentage of alcohol in your blood (known as your blood alcohol content or BAC) is what determines how drunk you are. It doesn't matter what type of alcohol you chose to consume, alcohol is alcohol. More than your body can process can make you sick no matter what the order. A 12-ounce beer equals a 1.5 ounce shot of liquor.

MYTH: Dark beers are stronger in alcohol.
TRUTH: The color of beer has nothing to do with its alcohol content. People often mistake a beer like Guinness Irish stout for a "strong" beer when it actually has an alcohol volume of 4.2%, less than Budweiser's 5%. Many Belgian beers with a light color have alcohol content of 8% or more.

I wrote yesterday about how food corporations are cynically marketing sugar-sweetened foods as "healthy," a totally bogus claim. Well, the New York Times' Room for Debate blog is taking apart that and other food myths, with commentary from a handful of food writers and experts.

First, nutrition epidemiologist Barry M. Popkin demolishes the myth that fruit juice and fruit-flavored antioxidant waters are healthy. Fruit juices, he says, have just as much sugar as soda -- you're much better off eating the fruit itself and drinking some water. And antioxidant waters (like Coca-Cola's Vitamin Water) have shown zero health benefit and are full of sugar.

Next, hot dog-maker Larry Bain explains why "kosher" does not necessarily mean higher quality.

Cathy Erway of the Not Eating Out in New York blog defends pale-colored veggies like cabbage and cauliflower from the "color equals vitamins" maxim.

>Brian Wansink of Cornell's Food and Brands Lab explains that we can't really tell when we're full as long as our eyes are receiving food-related stimuli.

Josh Ozersky, author of "The Hamburger: A History" makes us think twice about the idea that grass-fed beef is automatically good.

David Kamp, Vanity Fair food writer, explains how arugula, often used as a stand-in for "fancy-schmancy" is actually a humble weed from the Mediterranean.

[Via New York Times]

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