Nutrition cliches - truth or myth?

by Maggie Vink (Subscribe to Maggie Vink's posts)
Oct 31st 2008 8:00AM

You should always listen to what your momma tells you. Unless what she's telling you is just an old wives' tale. Ella from Ruby Room helps us decipher the truths from the myths:

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. There aren't too many people who would dispute this. A good breakfast gives you the energy to get through your day and it can even help you lose weight.
Hot milk will help you get to sleep. Milk contains melatonin and tryptophan so it can help you feel sleepier.
Beans are the musical fruit. They certainly do produce a fair amount of gas while digesting. But they're a healthy addition to your diet ... so they're worth it.
Mixing drinks will increase your hangover. I remember a little rhyme from when I was in college: "Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Liquor then beer, nothing to fear." The truth is, it's simply the level of alcohol in your blood and the amount of dehydration that creates a hangover.
Carrots will help you see in the dark. Carrots are rich in vitamin A, which is beneficial for vision. But the direct link between carrots and eyesight is far more myth than fact.

Check out the full article on Ruby Room to find out the truth behind other cliches.

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Baron 10-31-2008 @ 10:26AM

A note on the liquor/beer myth (same rhyme we used, btw)... The rhyme is useful to keep in mind and, I would think, created because when you drink beer, the alcohol in it does not effect you nearly as fast as say a shot. So, you drink four or five beers to get started in the evening and you are feeling a little buzzed, then you and your friends switch to shots or mixed drinks. Well, it might be several hours before the beer really makes its impact and by that time, you could have already had more than a few liquor drinks.

Anyway, what I'm getting at is what you said, it is all about the level of alcohol in your body (well, the amount of sugars have a large part to play on the hangover I believe). It is just that you can judge how you are feeling better if you start off with the stuff that effects you quickest (liquor) and then move to the beer. Otherwise, you can easily run the risk of upping your alcohol content much higher than you initially thought.