Skeptics Stack Exchange
Skeptics Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [nutrition]

Use this tag for claims regarding the way we eat, and the effects eating has on our bodies.

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary (in the form of food) to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with a healthful diet.

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Does the artificial sweetener aspartame cause cancer?

I've often heard that the artificial sweetener aspartame causes cancer. Is it true?
anansias
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Does the "sugar high" exist at all?

I've heard numerous times that eating1 a high quantity of sugar will give you a "sugar high" or "sugar buzz" The high one gets after consuming large amounts of sugar. Also called a "sugar rush." Sugar highs cause twitchiness, spasms, and hyper…
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Did A&W customers think 1/3 pound burger patties weigh less than 1/4 pound ones?

This Facebook post by 9gag.com makes the claim that customers of A&W thought that A&W's 1/3 pound burgers weighed less than McDonald's 1/4 pound burgers, and preferred to buy the McDonald's burgers due to them thinking that a 1/4 pound burger has…
March Ho
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Are vegetables good for me?

From a young age, most people are told that vegetables are really good for you and you must eat them... But why? If I eat loads of vegetables for a week, and then the next week I eat nothing but burgers and fries I don't feel in the slightest bit…
BG100
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Does Red Bull Energy Drink contain sperm from a bull?

I heard this claim and burst into laughter assuming it was a joke, but the person said he was being serious. Is this true that Red Bull contains bull's sperm?
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Does honey ever go bad?

I have read that honey never spoils. Is this claim true? If so, what is it about honey that can cause it to remain edible for thousands of years?
jrdioko
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Is Genetically Modified food safe to consume?

What's the truth surrounding the popular idea that genetically modified food is dangerous to consume? There's entire websites and institutions dedicated to popularizing the alleged dangers of eating genetically modified food, such as GMO Awareness,…
Django Reinhardt
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Is drinking raw milk more dangerous than drinking pasteurized milk?

In Australia "raw milk", more commonly known as un-pasteurised milk, is mostly illegal for human consumption, except in one state, I do believe. The consensus appears to be that pasteurising the milk makes it safer to drink, but many argue (mostly…
Dwayne Charrington
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Did Elvis consume 100,000 calories a day at the end of his life?

This ABC Science article by Dr Karl S. Kruszelnicki claims Before he died, Elvis was eating about 100,000 calories per day! ... The basic element of Elvis' daily food intake was a 30-cm long bread roll, stuffed with bacon, peanut butter and…
David says Reinstate Monica
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What's wrong with processed food?

Jamie Oliver always talks about how processed food is awful, and we should stop eating it. By processed food he means food which is pre-prepared and contains additives. He instead insists that food cooked from fresh local ingredients is much…
Sal Rahman
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Did removing one olive lead to an airline saving thousands of dollars?

Quite a common story that gets brought up around airports or business meetings when someone wants to provide a famous example of small change for massive savings is the olive story. Apparently there was an airline that managed to save tens of…
going
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Does vegetarian sweat smell better?

I've read this article online in a Belgian newspaper (in Dutch): Weet wat je zweet: deze 7 dingen wist je nog niet over zweten — HLN. Number 4 is saying that vegetarian sweat smells better then non vegetarian sweat. I've done some research and…
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Is very young lamb poisonous?

I spotted an article on BBC news (repeated on several other news aggregators) about a farmer who had had his lambs stolen. There was a very specific warning given: PSNI Chief Inspector Graham Dodds has warned abattoirs to be careful about…
Richard
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Does drinking distilled water remove needed minerals from your body?

Claim: Drinking distilled water can actually remove needed minerals from the body, due the lack of minerals in the water, and therefore do damage to the body. I have a hard time accepting this due to amount of minerals that can be found in the…
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Is monosodium glutamate (MSG) bad for you?

Anecdotal evidence blames the consumption of MSG for several symptoms such as headache, nausea, weakness, heart palpitations etc. Most migraine literature cites MSG as a potential trigger (example) but usually without any scientific basis. A quick…
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