Source: Geek

Nicole Kell

Many of us have heard that if you swallow chewing gum, it takes your body seven years to digest. Is this actually true? Do we all have pieces of gum sitting in our digestive tract for years and years?

The human digestive system can break down, utilize, and/or dispose of almost everything we consume. Technically chewing gum will not break down entirely because the synthetic portion is not digestible. However, the digestive system will eventually identify gum as nutritionally useless, move it along through normal intestinal activity, and expel it from the body. Chewing gum usually stays in your body for less than a week.

It is harmless to swallow an occasional piece of gum, but if a remarkable amount of gum is repeatedly swallowed then it can potentially lead to a bowel obstruction. Swallowing gum also poses a very slight choking hazard.

Even though gum does not stay in the human body for seven years after being swallowed, it might be wise to refrain from swallowing your gum to avoid a potentially sticky situation.

http://tristanmed.com/blog/entry/the-truth-about-swallowing-gum

https://www.mayoclinic.org/digestive-system/expert-answers/faq-20058446

https://kidshealth.org/HospitalSantJoandeDeu/en/kids/swallowed-gum.html

Source: The Conversation

Madison McGuire

While there might be days during pregnancy when women feel extremely hungry, the idea that those expecting are “eating for two” is misleading. Substantial weight gain during pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes, high blood pressure, or a large baby and the need for a cesarean birth.

Contrary to popular belief, energy needs do not change during the first trimester. And, on average, only 300 more calories are to be consumed each day during the last six months of pregnancy.  

A recent survey revealed that more than two-thirds of pregnant women are unaware of how many extra calories to eat. While it is important to consume enough nutrients, pregnant women can feel pressure from others to eat larger meals. Poor eating habits make it harder for moms to lose the excess weight after delivery. Larger babies that are born from overweight women are at higher risk for obesity and other significant health problems, such as jaundice and metabolic syndrome.

Women are advised to choose healthy foods that give more “nutritional bang for their calorie buck.” While constant cravings are a normal part of pregnancy, the “eating for two” rationale should not be used to binge on unhealthy snacks or grab two plates every meal.  

https://www.rcog.org.uk/en/news/eating-for-two-pregnancy-myth-still-risks-harming-mothers-and-their-babies-despite-best-intentions/

https://www.webmd.com/baby/features/pregnant-eat-for-two-right

https://www.fitpregnancy.com/nutrition/prenatal-nutrition/eating-two

Source: It’s Interesting

Nicole Kell

Most have us grown up hearing about the “five-second rule”. Simply put, people say that food is safe to consume if it is snatched up from the ground in five seconds or less.

But is the food really safe to eat or should we throw it away?

High school student Jillian Clarke and Dr. Meredith Agle at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign performed an experiment to determine whether it is safe to eat food that has been on the ground. Jillian swabbed the floors of a lab, hall, dormitory, and cafeteria in order to quantify the number of organisms. She repeated this and then examined swabs from both trials. The swabs showed minimal microorganisms. The lack of microorganisms on the floor is due to the fact that floors she was testing were dry and most pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella only survive in moist conditions.

However, it has been proven that when it comes to damp floors and carpet, or moist and sticky foods such as gum, watermelon and ice cream, all bets are off when it comes to the “five second rule”. A professor from Clemson University performed a similar experiment, but on different types of surfaces. He found that it didn’t matter how long the food was on the floor, but the amount of bacteria on the floor and the moisture of the food/floor play a significant role how much bacteria transferred to the food.

When it comes to the spread of bacteria and eating food off of the ground, researchers and doctors advise people to throw away the food in order to avoid risk of illness.

https://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/features/5-second-rule-rules-sometimes-#1

https://www.ahchealthenews.com/2017/09/12/five-second-rule-myth/

https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2016/09/the-five-second-rule-is-a-myth/