For generations, people have turned to chicken soup for a common cold, but INSIDE EDITION talks to one doctor who is saying many popular food myths just aren't true.
It's a myth many of us believe in: a glass of warm milk helps you sleep—turns out, it’s just not true.
INSIDE EDITION asked Dr. Thomas Goforth to debunk some other popular food myths.
Dr. Goforth said, “A lot of people have tried to find a scientific reason why this may or may not work, but it really doesn't pan out."
INSIDE EDITION’s Diane McInerney asked, “Can caffeine really cure a headache?”
“Caffeine doesn't cure a headache. It can help it go away quickly. It can help headache medicines work faster,” said Dr. Goforth.
But, Dr. Goforth warns if you drink too much caffeine and suddenly stop, you run the risk of caffeine withdrawal, and a killer headache.
For some, chocolate is a guilty pleasure, and that's okay because it's good for the heart. Well, it turns out, that's not exactly true. It all depends on the type of chocolate you eat.
Dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa is good for you. It's full of antioxidants.
McInerney asked, "What's the secret to the dark chocolate?"
“The more bitter it tastes, in general the better it is. The flavonols, that antioxidant, it gives that pungent taste,” said Dr. Goforth.
Everyone knows that cranberry juice helps prevent and treat bladder infections, right? Well, no, according to a new study.
“The benefits were so slight, so minor that they really can no longer say that we can suggest that cranberry juice will actually help prevent urinary tract infections,” said Dr. Goforth.
It is cold and flu season, but grandma's chicken soup will make you all better, right?
Wrong! Sorry, grandma, it’s not going to happen. Soup can help rehydrate you, but it's not a cure.
Here's a myth we won't dispel—the benefits of the immune boosting herb, Echinacea, which is sold at pharmacies and health food stores. It turns out, it really is all it's cracked up to be.
"It decreases the severity of the symptoms. Also, it decreases the length of the cold when you get it," said Dr. Goforth.
