Warmer weather is finally here – and with it comes a whole slew of old wives
tales about nutrition and food. We’ve taken on 5 big ones, let’s see the results...
1
Eating tomatoes helps
prevent a sunburn.
Somewhat True.
Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, an antioxidant that helps protect cells from
damage from pollution, aging and more.
A study of 20 women found that eating 3 tablespoons of tomato paste a day
for 3 months helped protect against sun damage compared to not eating
tomato paste. Why did they eat tomato paste and not fresh tomatoes? Cooking
and processing tomatoes to make tomato sauce or paste increases the amount
of lycopene by up to 400%!
So should you toss out that sunscreen and bring on the pizza? Not exactly.
While these results are exciting, tomatoes are no replacement for protecting
yourself from the sun by using sunscreen, sitting in the shade, covering up with
a hat, and wearing the right clothing and sunglasses. Think of tomatoes as a
bonus for sun protection, not one of your main strategies. They won’t prevent
sunburn on their own.
2
You should wait 30 minutes after
eating before you go for a swim.
False.
Your mother probably made you wait after eating before jumping in the water,
warning you that you might sink. It turns out, she was wrong!
The thought behind this was that after a meal, all of your blood and oxygen will
go to your stomach to digest your food, leaving your arms and legs unable to
do the breast stroke or doggie paddle. The fact is, it’s not an all or nothing
thing. You should have enough oxygen to go around to your stomach, your
limbs and the rest of your body. At the worst, you might get a cramp if you eat
too much before a swim.
If you’re doing competitive swimming, that’s a different story. Eating a heavy
meal before training or a race will slow you down. Doing any kind of exercise
after a huge meal is uncomfortable, so eat a lighter snack before a swim and
leave the larger meals for afterwards.
Keep in mind that drinking alcohol before swimming should be avoided. Studies
looking at drowning deaths have found that in adults, 41% involved alcohol,
and 25% of teenagers who drowned were intoxicated.
WWW.EATINEATOUT.CA
17