Diet Myths?

I was looking on Channel 8 this morning (Today Show) and there was a lady talking about Apple juice whether it was healthy. I missed it, but she mentioned that red wine is healthier than white wine which has little nutritional value (or something like that).

I went on the next and found this page diet myths (fact or fiction). Here's a couple.

Vitamin C prevents a cold: Yes.
Studies have gone back and forth for years, and just when we thought the case was closed (a comprehensive review in 2004 of 55 comparative studies — carried out over a period of 65 years — determined that daily doses of 200mg (or more) failed to reduce the incidence, duration or severity of the common cold in the normal, healthy population)... a new study surfaced!

The latest Japanese study, published 2006 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, showed the risk of contracting three or more colds in the five-year period was decreased by 66 percent by the daily intake of the 500-mg vitamin C supplement. This study deserves special mention because it was much longer (five years) than the trials reported in previous studies and covered many cold seasons in which subjects were probably exposed repeatedly to many cold viruses.

Chicken soup helps when you're sick: Yes.
Grandma was right after all. Sipping on hot, tasty chicken soup (prepared with a variety of vegetables) may help you feel better.

First, hot fluids in general help keep nasal passages moist, increase mucus velocity, prevent dehydration and sooth a sore throat. And the psychological comfort that soup provides may also have a placebo effect for those who are feeling ill. But most interesting is the supportive evidence that was shown in a scientific study, led by Dr. Stephan Rennard out of University of Nebraska a few years back. Researchers concluded that chicken soup with a variety of veggies, may contain substances that function as an anti-inflammatory mechanism and potentially ease the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections, including congestion, stuffy nose, cough, and sore throat.

In other words, a healthy dose of chicken soup with veggies is good for a cold.

It turns out the lady in the article (Joy Bauer) is different from the lady on TV today. The lady today was Nancy L. Snyderman plugging her book. Ah, here's the video.

And the answer for apple (and other fruit) juice. Not good for dieting. Contains lots of sugar and not a lot of nutritional value. And same for white wine which is sugar water.