Breaking the Myth: It’s Okay to Eat What You Can’t Pronounce
Breaking the Myth: It’s Okay to Eat What You Can’t Pronounce
One of the most peculiar food mantras I heard repeatedly is: "If you can't pronounce it, don't eat it." But let’s be honest—this rule is as absurd as it sounds.
Just because a word is a tongue-twister doesn’t mean it's unhealthy. I mean, do you even pronounce "duodenum" correctly every time? Exactly. Many food names sound complex or chemical-laden, but that doesn't make them harmful. Some are essential for our health and survival.
Let’s start with chemicals. They’re everywhere, even in the air we breathe. Yep, that’s right. Nitrogen and oxygen are chemicals. Even water, H2O, or what some jokingly call dihydrogen oxide, is essential for life. People have freaked out about it, with petitions to ban it despite its vital role in survival.
Nutrition terms can also sound scary, like those with "acid" in them—like ascorbic acid (aka vitamin C), oleic acid (a healthy fat in olive oil), or pantothenic acid (vitamin B5). These compounds are not just harmless; they're crucial for our health.
But what about those tongue twisters you encounter on food labels or elsewhere?
Cyanocobalamin? That’s just B12, vital for your diet.
Zeaxanthin? It’s a phytochemical aiding eye health, found in colorful fruits and veggies.
Have you ever heard of phenylalanine? It’s an amino acid essential for protein synthesis unless you have phenylketonuria. If you wonder if you do, you don’t—it is checked for at birth.
And then there’s epigallocatechin gallate, also known as EGCG, a polyphenol in tea and other plant foods with anti-inflammatory properties. That was a fun presentation for me in grad school.
And let’s not forget food names that once sounded alien, like quinoa, acai, prosciutto, gnocchi, or ciabatta. Admit it, you stumbled over them at first, but they’re just everyday foods now. And charcuterie? Don’t even go there.
The bottom line? The "if you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it" rule is dumb. Learning about unfamiliar foods and nutrients is easy with the internet at our fingertips.
Don’t follow the social media memes and graphics using scare tactics; educate yourself.
So, next time you encounter a mouthful of a name, don’t dismiss it. It could be precisely what your body needs.
Curious to hear some of these words pronounced? Check out my YouTube video for more.
Have you fallen for this rule? Don’t sweat it; many have.
Real World Nutrition Refreshed: I am revitalizing and updating my archive of blogs and re-publishing them. Stay tuned as I review, update, refresh, and re-share these posts to provide you with even more valuable information on nutrition, health, and overall wellness – and keep things timely. A portion of this blog was originally posted on Sep 9, 2021 and is updated here.
