The Internet is littered with claims about "foods that one should never eat at the same time" or "common food combinations that poison you".
In China, such "advices" are widespread with books about foods that wreak havoc on one's health if consumed together in demand and social media posts garnering netizens' attention.
Despite their popularity, these tips could be quite far from truthful.
One myth about a toxic food pairing was proven to be false during a yearly consumer protection TV show on China Central Television (CCTV).
CCTV invited Professor Fan Zhihong from the China Agricultural University to test if crab meat and tomato could be a poisonous mix.
According to the myth, the two foods will turn into white arsenic, or arsenic trioxide, which is fatal.
Fan said on the program that many around her are interested in such "health tips." But her lab tests showed that almost no traces of white arsenic resulting from the mixture, even when stomach acid was included.
"It's too little to poison a human," Fan said in the show. "We can also find other solid studies busting other myths around food combinations."
Make-believe
Another problem with such rumors is their source.
"Some rumors are fabricated on purpose," said the host of the show. "Their sources have serious problems."
As an example, the show presented a handbook sold in China saying that its data source is the "Chinese Nutrition Association," which turned out to be a fake organization, whose name is inspired by the Chinese Nutrition Society.
"Think more about having a balanced meal and sanitation, which are actually worth your time," Fan told the audience.
By Gong Zhe
