Remember all those sayings your Mum bombarded you with at the dinner table and you believed because you had no choice? Well now you can find out whether they were true or not.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Your gran may have been onto something with this one as research has found that apples can help to reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers.
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day
Nutrionists largely agree on this one. Eating breakfast sets you up for the day, provides body and mind with fuel and gets your metabolism going (the latter of which can help with weight loss).
Eating before bedtime is bad for you
Whoever told you this was right - if you eat a heavy meal before you go to sleep your body has to expend energy breaking down your last meal instead of concentrating on rest and repair. You're likely to wake up feeling tired and sluggish if you eat too late.
A hot milky drink can help you sleep
Milk contains melatonin and trytophan both of which can help you to relax, so a hot milky drink right before you go to bed can get you in the right, chilled out state of mind for sleep.
Cheese gives you nightmares
Contrary to popular urban legend, cheese can actually help you sleep. Far from giving you nightmares, it contains the amino acid tryptophan which can aid a good night's slumber.
Beans mean wind
Unfortunately beans produce a fair amount of gas when they're broken down in your stomach, which makes them anything but the food of choice for a first date or a romantic night in.
Chewing parsley gets rid of garlic breath
This bright green herb can actually help to relieve garlic breath. Chopping a little bit of this herb into a garlic sauce won't be enough though - you'll need to chew on a few sprigs of the stuff to make a difference.
Mixing your drinks will increase your hangover
There is some thinking that mixing you drinks gets you drunk faster, but its the level of alcohol in your blood and dehydration that affects how you feel the next day.
Oysters are an aphrodisiac
Whilst these sea creatures contain zinc which impacts on libido, there is mixed scientific opinion as to whether they actually increase sexual desire or fertility.
Coffee keeps you awake
Whilst the caffeine in coffee will act as a stimulant initially, it can also impair the body's absorption of nutrients. Drinking too much of the dark stuff can actually leave you feeling tired and sluggish after the initial buzzy high.
Champagne goes straight to your head
Research suggests that the bubbles in champagne speed up the absorption of alcohol into your system, so a few glasses of bubbly will get you feeling suitably giddy and giggly.
Spinach gives you Popeye strength
Whilst you won't get muscles within seconds of eating this leafy green, spinach is packed with iron and vitamins which will help to strengthen your immune system.
Crusts make your hair curly
Okay, so your Mum might have been fibbing when she used this old wives' tale on you, but it probably worked a few times before you realised that your hair wasn't getting any curlier.
Carrots help you see in the dark
This urban myths stems from World War Two when the public were being encouraged to grow their own veg. There is an element of truth to the saying, as carrots contain Vitamin A which is vital for healthy vision.





































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Thursday 06 November
Written by Jaybooze
Cheese definitely gives me vivid dreams,very seldom nightmares.
The story about eating carrots helping you to see in the dark was promoted by the Government to explain Grp.Captain John Cunningham success in shooting down enemy bombers at night
when the very secret Radar in his aircraft was in fact detecting the targets.To enhance the tactic he was nicknamed " Cats Eyes " Cunningham,which he reputedly hated.
The authorities wanted to keep the radar secret to delay the countermeasures the Germans would introduce when they found out about the Radar
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Thursday 06 November
Written by Jeremy Hails
Cheese definitely gives me vivid dreams,as do many milk products such as coa with milk in it.
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Thursday 06 November
Written by Jeremy Hails
Further to my previous comment coa should read 'cocoa'
Also the myth about carrots enhancing night vision was promoted by the Air Ministry in the early part of World War 2 to hide the fact that night fighter ace Group Captain John Cunningham was using a top secret aircraft mounted radar to shoot down many enemy bombers at night. If the Germans found out about the radar they could have developed counter
measures,which they eventually did do.
The AM claimed he ate loads of carrots to help his night vision and even nicknamed him "Cats Eyes Cunningham" which he reputedly hated.Jeremy
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Thursday 06 November
Written by Florance
I have very bad dreams after eating cheese at night. And the bit about carrots being good for your eyes. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN A RABBIT WEARING GLASSES. I rest my case.
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Thursday 06 November
Written by GEOFF
Great article, and all true!
I swallowed 12 oysters, baked with cheese and garlic, washed down with champagne and carrot juice. Then I leapt into bed with a beautiful woman who unfortunately had no parsley, but did have a hot milky drink and fell fast asleep, leaving me fit as a fiddle looking at her lovely form in the dark, with a long bow and nowhere to play.
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Thursday 06 November
Written by Brian
If I eat cheese in the evening I dream, and have very vivid dreams that I remember. If I eat a blue, veined cheese, I have
nightmares, If I do not eat cheese I probably still dream but do not remember them.
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Thursday 06 November
Written by muckcarter
So cheese don't give you nightmares a ! then why after eating cheese for my supper do I wake up screaming because i am being eaten alive by lions, or falling down a bottomless pit, or being led to the gallows to be hung, or falling 30000 ft from a plane, all this only after eating cheese, If I don't eat cheese I don't dream at all.
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Saturday 08 November
Written by Alan Norris
If you don't like milk, try the Swiss drink "Rivella", which is made from milk but without the fat, and has the same effect on sleep. However it looks like sparkling white wine, and has a delicious, natural fruit taste. To find where to buy it Google "Rivella".
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