Do Carrots Improve Eyesight? 8 Surprising Facts About Food Ingredients

Reported by Xiao Wanning / Compiled from multiple sources | All images sourced from BuzzFeed

Recently, food authenticity scandals have been making headlines. In fact, food safety issues aren’t limited to Taiwan—they exist all over the world. Some are just unspoken secrets. The international forumbuzzfeedlisted 17 common lies about food ingredients. Here are 8 particularly surprising facts.

1. All fruit loops taste the same, regardless of color.

Fruit loops come in a variety of advertised flavors like honeydew, strawberry, and chocolate—but reportedly, they all taste the same.

2. Instant noodles aren’t as thick as they appear.

Take a look at the cross-section of a cup noodle—those noodles aren’t as thick as they seem. They’re actually spaced farther from the bottom of the cup.

3. Double-stuffed Oreos only have 1.86 times the filling.

According to an experiment by high school seniors at Queensbury High School in New York, USA, Double Stuf Oreos contain only 1.86 times the filling of the original. In response, Oreo spokesperson Kimberly Fontes said, “I’m not sure how the weight was measured in the classroom, but I can assure you that the Double Stuf Oreo recipe truly has twice the amount of creme filling compared to the original Oreo.”

4. Subway’s 12-inch subs have actually been 11-inch subs for years.

According to a report by the Los Angeles Times, Subway’s so-called 12-inch subs have actually been 11 inches for years. Subway has officially promised to make greater efforts to ensure that customers worldwide receive closer to 12-inch subs.

5. Re-dipping eaten food into sauce doesn’t spread more bacteria.
Many people assume that dipping a bite of food into sauce again spreads more bacteria, leading some to discourage the practice for hygiene and health reasons. However, experiments on American TV shows found that dipping a bitten cookie into sauce doesn’t spread more bacteria than dipping an unbitten one.

6. Peanuts are actually legumes, not nuts.

Many people think peanuts are nuts, but they’re actually legumes. The easiest way to tell the difference between legumes and nuts is whether you can crack them open by hand—nuts usually can’t be opened without tools, while legumes can.

7. German chocolate cake has nothing to do with Germany.

German chocolate cake was actually created by an American named Sam German—and it has no real connection to Germany. The confusion arose later, which is why many people believe otherwise.

8. Carrots have very little—or even no—effect on improving eyesight.

Many people were forced to eat carrots as kids because they were told it would help their eyesight. But recent studies have shown that carrots don’t do much for eye health, and the nutrients they contain can also be obtained from other vegetables.