Fact Check: Don't fall for health myths about fruit-vegetable combos

The video recommends mixing honey and onion to boost the immune system by 200 per cent, carrot and honey to achieve a flat stomach and reduce bloating, a ginger-honey combination to clear mucus in the lungs and a turmeric-orange mix to protect oneself from chronic diseases.

Fact Check

NewsMeter found that the video contains a mixture of facts and misleading claims. Let’s fact-check the ‘health benefits’ of each combination mentioned in the video.

Does an onion-honey mixture boost the immune system?

The first claim is that consuming onion mixed with honey will boost the immune system by 200 per cent; the claim is false.

Dr Sriram Srikakulapu, consultant gastroenterologist at Amor Hospitals, Hyderabad, said, “The combination mentioned does not have any impact on the immune system and an improvement by 200 per cent is quite impossible.”

Onion has a soluble fibre called fructan which is hard to digest and causes bloating, gas, diarrhoea and nausea. It can also cause body odour, bad breath and trigger food allergies.

“Mixing honey and onion is not a good idea at all. Excess consumption of onion can lead to bloating and a lot of burps,” Dr Sriram added.

Does carrot-lemon juice help in achieving a flat stomach?

The video claimed that an individual can achieve a flattened stomach and decrease bloating by consuming a mixture of carrot and lemon; the claim is misleading.

“Lemon and carrot mix can be helpful theoretically. Since lemon decreases bloating and carrots have high fibre, they together can help in reducing constipation. However, one can’t achieve a flat stomach just by reducing bloating,” Dr Sriram said.

Any fibre-rich fruit or vegetable, including apples, grapes, plums, peaches and apricots can help in aiding smooth bowel movement.

A ginger-honey mixture can remove lung mucus

The claim that a mixture of ginger and honey can remove mucus in the lungs is false.

Rejecting the claim, Dr Sriram said, “This mixture can only help in removing mucus from the throat and not from the lungs. A ginger-lemon mixture helps in soothing the throat and reduces the viscosity of the mucus, thus helping the individual spit it out.”

Ginger and lemon mixtures have Vitamin C, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, which can help reduce mucus from the throat, but not the lungs.

A turmeric-orange mixture to prevent chronic diseases

Claiming that a mixture of turmeric and orange can prevent contracting chronic diseases is misleading.

“Orange does not have any role in preventing chronic diseases. However, there is sufficient scientific proof about the benefits of turmeric. Turmeric can prevent autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, bowel diseases and psoriasis,” Dr Sriram said.

Turmeric capsules are available in the market across countries to treat bowel diseases and joint pains. Curcumin in turmeric can help reduce the pain in the joints and prevent inflammatory bowel diseases.

“However, there is no scientific evidence to substantiate the claims of turmeric preventing cancer,” Dr Sriram said.