Can eating aged cheese really stave off tooth decay? Do people with irritable bowel syndrome find serenity in whole wheat bread?

According to medical experts and scientific studies, the answers are “yes.”

Information about the healing powers of food continues filtering into our diets at the same rate as newly introduced fast foods. And if the experts are correct, they should.

The once old-folk remedy of drinking cranberry juice for mild urinary tract infections, for instance, has gained significant merit after two decades of research studies, one of which recently showed that the juice seemed to discourage recurring infections in 15 of 22 sufferers.

Or when it comes to high blood pressure, Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia prompted a series of subsequent studies in the early 90s showing that low potassium intake prompts the body into hoarding sodium, a precursor to the troubling condition. Dieticians now say that pumping up the diet with things like apricots, bananas and Brussels sprouts might spare us a regimen of antihypertensive medication.

Below are several plaguing medical aliments and conditions that can be prevented, diminished or even triggered by certain foods we eat.

Leave it to the man who knows best, Dr. Seymour Diamond of the National Headache Foundation reports that cured meats such as bacon and hot dogs are primary culprits, thanks to their high volumes of monosodium glutamate (MSG). This also means that headache sufferers should request that the additive be removed from meals eaten at most Chinese restaurants, where it is typically used.

It’s well known that iron-rich beef and the dark meat of poultry can help correct hemoglobin levels in the blood, although scientists have discovered also that the body best absorbs the mineral in the presence of Vitamin C. So after that next filet mignon you eat, reach for a juicy cantaloupe for dessert.

Drinking juices from fruits high in Vitamin C is a no-brainer. But a researcher affiliated with UCLA School of Medicine and other scientists claim that spicy foods can relieve nasal and sinus congestion and lessen mucus buildup. Pass the habanero salsa, please!

In a cookbook citing research by Dr. Irwin Mandel of the Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery, eating aged cheeses at the end of a meal re-mineralize teeth eroded by acids and bacteria, thanks to calcium and phosphorous contained in the curds. Other experts advise eating foods high in Vitamin C because it aids in the production of collagen, which strengthens gum tissue.

Corn, dairy products, coffee, teas and citrus fruits are instigators. Wheat bran and wheat bread are stabilizers, according to researchers at the Bristol Royal Infirmary in Great Britain. And while on this awkward subject, a doctor at Georgetown University points to celery, onions, raisins, apricots, prunes and cabbage as the biggest offenders for causing flatulence.

The medical jury is in on what foods to eat and avoid when irritations to the upper stomach occur. Say goodbye to alcohol, fatty substances, chocolate, coffee and peppermint, and replace them with any type of fruit, vegetable and grain – the more fiber, the better.