--- title: The Truth About 7 Food Myths description: Alcohol doesn't help you sleep, but water helps with weight loss. canonical: https://time.com/4159486/food-myths-truth/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-24T13:00:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:43.631Z article:section: Health og:title: The Truth About 7 Food Myths og:description: Alcohol doesn't help you sleep, but water helps with weight loss og:url: https://time.com/4159486/food-myths-truth/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704db103939f167d/69878158e20a87ae76a85536/time-healthiest-foods-red-wine1.gif?branch=production&width=667&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 667 og:image:height: 375 og:image:alt: healthiest foods, health food, diet, nutrition, time.com stock, red wine, alcohol og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The Truth About 7 Food Myths twitter:description: Alcohol doesn't help you sleep, but water helps with weight loss twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt704db103939f167d/69878158e20a87ae76a85536/time-healthiest-foods-red-wine1.gif?branch=production&width=667&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The Truth About 7 Food Myths > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's daily health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free daily newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ## Video: Should I Drink Seltzer Water? [Watch (HLS stream): Should I Drink Seltzer Water?](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/SSdTN2EQ.m3u8) (1:30)  _Published 2015-02-04. Seltzer -- also known as bubbly water, carbonated water, soda water and sparkling water -- comes with as many health myths as it does names. Luckily, seltzer is one of the rare instances where something you love drinking isn’t bad for you._ by [Cynthia Sass / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Cynthia Sass / Health.com Contributor Dec 24, 2015 1:00 PM UTC  Photograph by Danny Kim for TIME; Gif by Mia Tramz for TIME by [Cynthia Sass / Health.com](https://time.com/author/health-com/) ## Cynthia Sass / Health.com Contributor Dec 24, 2015 1:00 PM UTC Throughout my years as a sports nutritionist, several athletes have asked whether they should avoid eating turkey on game days because it might make them sleepy. I’m also regularly asked things, like, “Do spicy foods really boost metabolism?” or “Do I really need eight glasses of water a day?” It seems there are a number of eating and drinking wives tales many people still wonder about, including some that are particularly relevant this time of year, like those dealing with colds and hangovers. To set the record straight on seven food-focused notions check out my roundup below. You may be surprised by which beliefs are solid, which are rooted in truth but often exaggerated, and which are just flat-out false. **Myth: Turkey makes you sleepy** This myth stems from the fact that turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid that ups the brain chemical serotonin, used to make melatonin, which are both helpful for sleep. But the truth is the connection isn’t quite that simple or direct. First, turkey isn’t unique in its tryptophan content. The amino acid is also found in chicken, as long with other meats, fish, dairy, and eggs (and you probably haven’t felt sleepy after an omelet). Without a hefty helping of carbohydrates, which make tryptophan more available to your brain, you probably won’t feel sleepy. The real reason turkey has been tagged as a snooze inducer is because Thanksgiving is a day of overeating for most people. Stuffing yourself with too much food diverts blood flow to your gut, which is the real brain drainer and energy zapper. So if you want to feel alert go ahead and eat some lean turkey, as long as it’s part of a balanced meal and not super-sized. **Fact: Chicken soups helps with a cold** This one has science on its side. A famous 2000 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center found that [chicken soup has an anti-inflammatory effect](http://www.unmc.edu/publicrelations/media/press-kits/chicken-soup/chickensouppublishedstudy2000.pdf), which may help ease pain or discomfort. Chicken soup can also speed up the movement of mucus through the nose to relieve congestion. While cold beverages can slow the draining of mucous secretions, hot liquids thin them, so they’ll drain faster, which provides some relief. In addition, you tend to lose more fluid when you’re sick, from perspiration, or coughing, and the salt from soup can help keep you hydrated because it triggers water retention. If you don’t eat chicken, a veggie soup will do nicely, and either way adding veggies is a smart way to boost your nutrient intake and bolster immunity. **Myth: Alcohol helps you sleep** There have been more than 25 studies published about alcohol’s impact on sleep, and while it’s true that alcohol tends to reduce the amount of time it takes to fall asleep, it also disrupts overall sleep, particularly important REM sleep, which is mentally restorative. And the more you drink, the worse the impact. If you have trouble sleeping be sure to cut off caffeine at least six hours before bed, keep your room cool, dark, and quiet, and instead of a glass of wine try even five minutes of meditation, deep breathing, or progressive relaxation (focusing on relaxing your body, starting with the tips of your toes, up to the top of your head), either before bed, or after you’ve tucked in. **Myth: Hair of the dog helps a hangover** While imbibing in the a.m. may help temporarily, you’ll rebound right back to hangover symptoms, and probably even intensify them. Having another drink forces your body to prioritize metabolizing the new alcohol, so you get a brief reprieve from the chemical aftermath of the previous night’s cocktails. But as soon as the new alcohol gets processed, you’re back where you started, except this time with even more toxins in your system. While preventing a hangover is your best bet, if you’ve already done the damage the true remedies are time, rest, and lots of H2O. Adding some electrolytes may also help with hydration, which is why pickle juice and coconut water are often cited as hangover helpers. **Fact: A spoonful of honey is good for coughs** Honey contains natural anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial substances. In fact, in one [study](http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18056558), more than 100 children with upper respiratory tract infections were given either a honey flavored cough suppressant, nothing, or up to two teaspoons of pure honey before bed. The real honey not only reduced nighttime coughing and improved sleep, but it was just as effective as the over the counter medication. Next time your throat hurts, ease the discomfort by mixing a little honey with warm water and lemon, or simply swallow honey straight from the spoon. (Note: Due to the risk of infant botulism, never give honey to a child younger than age of one.) **Myth: Spicy foods cause ulcers** We now know that ulcers aren’t caused by worrying, or eating spicy foods that “burn holes” in your stomach. Eighty to 90% of ulcers are caused by _H. pylori_ bacteria, and as a result are treated with antibiotics. That said, if you’re currently being treated for an ulcer avoiding spicy foods is a good idea until it has healed. But in general, having chili peppers in your diet may offer a number of health benefits, including boosting metabolism, thinning the blood, which lowers the risk of stroke, reducing the risk of certain cancers, supporting immunity, and reducing inflammation, a known trigger of premature aging and chronic disease. **Fact: Drinking water helps you lose weight** While it’s not true that you lose weight with every sip of water you drink there have been published studies to support the connection between water and weight management. One found that when adults downed two cups of water right before eating a meal they ate between 75 and 90 fewer calories. A second [study](http://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2010/august/clinical-trial-confirms-effectiveness-of-simple-appetite-control-method.html), conducted by the same researchers, found that when two groups of people followed the same calorie-controlled plan for 12 weeks, those who drank two cups of water before meals lost about 15.5 pounds, compared to about 11 pounds in the non-water drinking group. Plus, there is some research to show that water offers a slight metabolic boost. One German [study](http://press.endocrine.org/doi/full/10.1210/jc.2003-030780) found that drinking 16 ounces (2 cups) of water upped calorie burning by 30%. The effect was triggered within 10 minutes and sustained for over an hour. And while the impact was small, in terms of the total extra number of calories burned, day after day those little boosts can add up. _Cynthia Sass, MPH, RD, is Health’s contributing nutrition editor, and privately counsels clients in New York, Los Angeles, and long distance. Cynthia is currently the sports nutrition consultant to the New York Rangers NHL team and the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team, and is board certified as a specialist in sports dietetics._ [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2015/12/17/the-truth-about-7-old-wives-tales-about-food/?xid=time) _More from Health.com:_ * [10 Winter Health Myths Busted](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20755836,00.html?xid=time) * [22 Ways to Survive Cold and Flu Season](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20951402,00.html?xid=time) * [7 Ways to Keep Alcohol From Ruining Your Diet](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20757335,00.html?xid=time) ## Transcript Seltzer. Also known as bubbly water. Carbonated water. Sparkling water. Soda water. Comes with as many health myths as it does names. Luckily seltzer is one of the rare instances where something you love to drink actually isn't bad for you. We asked five experts. And all of them say bottoms up to bubbles. Seltzer is a great soda alternative since it doesn't have calories or sugar. Professor Laureen Smith of Ohio State University says it's great for getting kids to stop drinking sugary sodas. The carbonation won't leech calcium from your bones and seltzer is not associated with lower bone density in women. Men. That's according to studies by Robert Heaney of the Creighton University School of Medicine and Douglas Kiel of Harvard Medical School. Basically, drinking seltzer water is like drinking regular water, says Sarah Bleich of John's Hopkins School of Public Health. It's harmless. The bubbles might even help you feel more full and eat less fat, according to one study. Lastly, seltzer water tends to grace the glasses of the rich says Adam Drewnowski, Director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington. According to him, seltzer water is just plain tap water going upscale. 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