TOLEDO, Ohio — You know how the old saying goes: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. But, is it true that something like a lemon or an orange can help prevent the coronavirus altogether?
That's the claim a viewer sent us, which appears to lay out a wellness plan for people who may have COVID-19. At the bottom, it says all we have to do to eliminate it is eat foods with more acidity than the virus, like lemons, bananas and garlic, among others.
We turned to two sources to VERIFY this claim: the World Health Organization and ProMedica Dr. Brian Kaminski.
"Those are the things that I find particularly concerning," Kaminski said. "I would caution anybody from reading and especially following posts by people that don't know or don't have a background in either conducting research, or having vetted and cited the research."
According to the W.H.O., the claim isn't based on research. On the organization's website, it says "no foods or dietary supplements can prevent or cure COVID-19 infection." In fact, there is also a whole webpage dedicated to dispelling rumors just like this one.
So we can VERIFY: this claim is false and does not appear to have any basis in research or fact. None of these foods can prevent or eliminate COVID-19.