Ice cream is fattening
Some ice creams are best as an occasional indulgence, but others can be a regular treat, and eaten sensibly, ice cream can be part of a healthy balanced diet. Heart Brand is developing products that are lower in fat, sugar-free, lactose-free, as well as low-carb options and those with more nutritional 'goodies' like calcium and fruit. For example, two scoops of Carte d'Or Light (a 100ml serving) have only 79 calories, while some Solero sticks include real fruit pieces and contain between 0 and 4% fat, with just 82-103 calories.
Brown eggs are better than white eggs
Whoever invented this myth must have got into a muddle over wholemeal bread versus white. Whether white or brown, the colour of eggshells is defined by gene and has nothing to do with quality or health. White or brown – every one's a good egg.
Margarine is a modern invention
The convenience of margarine has been recognised for almost 200 years. It was first recognised by Napoleon, who called on scientists to invent a spread as a substitute for butter – and margarine was created to help feed his troops. Today margarine continues to be an important source of vitamins A and D, and contains unsaturated fatty acids that are important for growth and later life. These fatty acids cannot be produced in the body and so have to be obtained from food.
White chocolate is milkier than milk chocolate
It sounds plausible – nevertheless this one's another old wives' tale. The colour of chocolate has nothing to do with the amount of milk it contains. Milk chocolate gets its brown colour from the main ingredient, cocoa. White chocolate consists of light-yellow cocoa butter, rather than brown cocoa powder, and that's what makes the colour.
Croissants were invented by the French
The first croissants were baked in Vienna, not Paris. In the 17th century the city was invaded by the Ottoman army under Mustafa Pasha and the crescent flag was raised above the city. When the troops withdrew, Austrian bakers made the crescent-shaped pastry so that Austrians could be reminded of their victory over the invaders every morning over breakfast.
You can only eat oysters when there's an 'r' in the month
Everyone’s heard the one about not eating oysters from May to August. That might have been true back in the days when there was no refridgeration, as the shelf life of oysters is short. Today oysters can be enjoyed at any time of the year, thanks to cold storage and transport. However, gourmets think that oysters taste better in winter, as they find fewer algae to eat and so they taste fresher.
