13 Things You Should Never Eat on an Airplane

A registered dietitian nutritionist reveals which foods could turn your next flight into a disaster.
Onions and garlic 
Go easy on your seat mates—that garlic bagel you enjoyed for breakfast might linger through a flight later on. The compound allyl methyl disulfide, one of the culprits contributing to garlic breath, can take up to 24 hours to be removed from your body. Thankfully, Sheryl Barringer, PhD, professor and department chair of food science at Ohio State who co-authored a study on managing the odor (published in the Journal of Food Science) has an easy fix. “Eating foods like a raw apple or mint leaves can help deodorize your breath after eating garlic,” she says.  

Alcohol 
For individuals who fear flying, drinking alcohol might seem like a way to calm down. Plus, you might think of the start of vacation as an excuse to overindulge—but think twice: Flying by itself is a dehydrating experience, according to the Aerospace Medical Association. Sitting on a cramped flight for more than four hours already increases chance of blood clots in high-risk people, according to the CDC, and dehydration from drinking adds yet another layer of risk.

Dried fruit 
That snack bag of dried apricots seems mighty enticing if no meal is included on your flight. You may live to regret it if you have been newly diagnosed with asthma and aren’t particularly familiar with its triggers. Dried fruit can contain sulfites, which could promote an attack, according to research article in the journal Gastroenterology and Hepatology from Bed to Bench. Lower oxygen levels might worsen breathing issues, according to the Aerospace Medical Association.  

Coffee 
Grabbing a Venti blonde roast on your way to the gate is a common habit. But that cup of coffee delivers 475 milligrams of caffeine. Two hours into the flight, you’ll have annoyed your neighbors with several bathroom trips and restlessness. A 2017 study in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition found that 6 milligrams caffeine per kilogram of body weight (408 milligrams for a 150-pound person) can act like a diuretic, leading to fluid, sodium, and potassium loss. This caffeine jolt could also result in symptoms such as headaches or muscle cramps, warns the Mayo Clinic.  

Blue cheese 
Skip the Cobb salad on the in-flight menu—blue cheese can be a problem for someone with a milk allergy. The last place you want to find out if you’ll react is at 35,000 feet. The cabin is pressurized, but the environment is still similar to the air at the 6,000- to 8,0000-foot altitude. Those lower oxygen levels mean individuals with respiratory ailments are especially vulnerable, according to the Aerospace Medical Association. Plus, tummy-related symptoms could be an even bigger problem if turbulence is keeping you in your seat and away from the bathroom.

Nuts and nut butter 
Peanuts are a handy snack, but you’ll be going hungry if the flight attendant announces that someone on board has a severe nut allergy. Because the plane recycles a percentage of cabin air, opening your bag of nuts could expose the allergic person. How airlines handle the issue varies—Allergy Safe Travel provides links to various airline policies. For example, your nuts could be OK on Jet Blue Airline, which tries to discreetly create a nut-free buffer zone the row in front of and behind the allergic passenger.  

Salami 
That salami sandwich you grabbed while waiting at the airport may come back to haunt you during your flight. Salami is considered a high-histamine food, according to an American Journal of Clinical Nutrition article. In those who are sensitive to histamines, eating it could aggravate nasal allergies or sinusitis, making lift-off and landing a congestive nightmare. Next time, choose the turkey sandwich.

“Tap” water 
Sure, airlines dole out H2O in bottles, but their coffee and tea are made with tap water—and you might want to wait on those until you land. The Aircraft Drinking Water Rule of 2009 requires airlines to inspect their water transit systems for E. coli at least every five years, which leaves an uncomfortable amount of room for error. Sure enough, a 2015 study in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that water on the two planes it tested contained bacteria known to cause disease. Carry your own water bottle, and fill it after you get past security—and before you board.

Beans, peas, and lentils 
Get this: The Aerospace Medical Association reveals that the change in cabin pressure can cause gas in your intestines to expand up to 25 percent. Those fiber-rich legumes give you gas on the ground—imagine what they can do to you (and your unwitting seat mates) once you hit cruising altitude. Plus, the abdominal crowding will make you even more uncomfortable if you’re pregnant. Avoid the black bean burrito before you board, and maybe skip any beans on the side of your in-flight meal.  

Breakfast sandwich 
Hit the brakes on that fast-food breakfast sandwich. The USDA lists biscuits with egg and ham as the worst fast-food item for sodium content. At 1,989 milligrams, one sandwich happens to be 86 percent of the recommended daily 2,300 milligrams of sodium. All that sodium can boost blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association, which is especially concerning when the flight’s low oxygen puts additional strain on your heart. Stick to fruit and yogurt or other low-salt options.

Carbonated beverages 
Lower oxygen levels can make flying particularly trying for individuals with lung disorders. A study in the European Respiratory Journal found that 18 percent of passengers with lung disease had at least mild respiratory distress during a flight. To make matters worse, gas expansion at high altitudes can increase pressure on your lungs. The Aerospace Medical Association recommends avoiding carbonated beverages, which could increase in gas formation and compromise breathing. Stick to water to keep you hydrated and reduce gas production.  

Popcorn 
Picture this: You’re in your seat with your bag of butter-flavored popcorn ready to watch a movie when the plane hits an unexpected turbulent patch. The bag goes flying, covering you and your neighbors in popcorn kernels. Even if you avoid this embarrassing scenario, you’ll have buttery fingers, a rustling package, and a strong, buttery smell for everyone around you. And if the fiber results in flatulence, you’ll realize perhaps some trail mix or healthy chips might be a better option.

Dark chocolate espresso beans 
When we think about caffeine we usually think coffee, but dark chocolate can pack a caffeine punch. A 3.5-ounce bar of 85 percent cacao has about 80 milligrams caffeine alone, and chocolate-covered espresso beans contain as much as 336 milligrams per serving, according to the USDA. You won’t like that if turbulence makes you anxious.  

Once You See Nutella’s Ingredients, You May Think Twice About Eating It

Nutella does contain sugar and palm oil so you'll probably want to consume it as an occasional treat rather than an everyday spread. 

Let’s be honest: Nutella is delicious. It’s no longer as heavily advertised as a healthy breakfast option (remember those happy families slathering it on their breakfast toast?) after two class-action lawsuits over deceptive advertising were settled in 2012. However, because it contains nuts and could be used as a spread instead of peanut butter or other nut butters, you might still have the impression that it’s relatively healthy. But if you take a closer look at all of the Nutella ingredients, you’ll find it’s really not that healthy after all.

A jar only contains five ingredients: cocoa, palm oil, hazelnuts, and skimmed milk powder. Advertisers play up the fact that it’s a delicious hazelnut spread with no artificial colors or preservatives, so you might feel good about eating it daily or giving it to your kids. But, what they don’t outright say is that more than half of the jar is pure sugar.

“The amount of sugar is 21 grams per serving. But let’s get real: Who only eats one serving of Nutella?” says Wesley McWhorter, MS, RD, chef and dietitian at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston. “Nutella should be treated as a dessert or treat, not as a healthy meal.” Check out these other surprising (even disgusting!) ingredients that you never realized were in your food. The nutrition label states that each 2 tablespoons (38 grams) contains 21 grams of sugar. Then, the second most used ingredient is palm oil, which is solid fat. So, you’re really not getting that much hazelnut. “Nuts are great for you (good source of protein, healthy fats and fiber) but unlike peanut, almond or other nut butters most of the fat in Nutella is coming from palm oil rather than the hazelnuts themselves,” says McWhorter.  

“At Ferrero, we do not believe there are ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods, only good and bad diets,” announced Nutella’s parent company in a 2018 statement. “With this in mind, we have always believed that offering small portions and educating consumers is the best way to help them enjoy their favorite treats in moderation.”

So portion control is one way to ensure you can enjoy this delicious chocolate-y spread (or make it an occasional treat rather than an everyday staple). Another option: Try healthier versions such as this organic hazelnut spread, which only has 12 grams of sugar, or these hazelnut spreads from Rigoni di Asiago, JEM, or Justin’s.

Another way to get your chocolate fix? Mayo Clinic suggests adding plain cocoa (look for non-Dutch 0r non-alkalized) to your grass-fed, organic, or plant-based milk, or morning oats—especially since flavanols in cocoa beans have antioxidant effects that reduce cell damage implicated in heart disease. 

Natural Remedies for Dry Mouth That Will Make You Feel So Much Better

Difficulty swallowing, cracked lips, bad breath, tasteless food—they are all symptoms of dry mouth. While there are some serious causes of dry mouth, the condition is often harmless. But that doesn’t make it less annoying. Here are some tips for how to relieve dry mouth at home. 

Lay off the cigarettes 
Smoking doesn’t cause dry mouth, but it can make it worse. That’s because “smoking reduces the production of saliva,” says Matthew Messina, DDS, interim director of the Dental Oncology Clinic at The Ohio State University School of Dentistry in Columbus, OH, and spokesperson for the American Dental Association (ADA). What to do? Give up cigarettes! Until then, counter the effects of dry mouth by adding black currants to your diet. A study published in 2015 in the Journal of Medicinal Food found that eating black currants reduced smoking-associated risk on oral health by improving the flow of saliva. Whip up a batch of black currant muffins or make a black currant smoothie.  

Chew on it 
For a simple–and tasty!–dry mouth treatment, try chewing sugar-free gum or sucking on sugar-free hard candies, suggests Dr. Messina. Both can help stimulate the flow of saliva, especially citrus, cinnamon, or mint-flavors. Careful, though: For some people, over-consumption of sugar-free products can cause rather, er, uncomfortable gastrointestinal side effects. These daily habits can help reduce bloating.

See you later, latte 
Caffeinated drinks, like tea, coffee and soda, can cause your mouth to feel dry. Alcohol also dehydrates, so laying off cocktails may lead to some improvement in dry mouth symptoms. Also avoid sugary or acidic drinks, such as most fruit juices and tomato juice. In addition to being dehydrating, the acid can also be painful for dry mouth sufferers. Water, milk, or decaffeinated sugar-free drinks are best.  

Keep it steamy 
One of the more simple home remedies for dry mouth at night is to put a humidifier in your bedroom. The increased moisture in the room may help alleviate the dryness and make you feel better in the morning. Be sure to clean the humidifier and replace the water regularly to avoid the growth of mold.

Guzzle water 
“If you experience dry mouth, you’re not producing enough saliva,” says Dr. Messina. “Drinking water throughout the day can help keep your mouth moist.” Carry a bottle with you as you go about your day and leave it by your bed at night. Drinking water during meals is especially helpful, as it not only will keep you hydrated but it will also making chewing and swallowing easier. Added bonus: It will make the food you’re eating taste better. You can even add some water, broth or extra liquids (butter counts!) directly to foods to make them easier to chew and swallow.  

Swish it 
If you’re looking for a way to prevent dry mouth while sleeping, add mouthwash to your pre-bedtime routine. But be sure to look for the mouthwashes that are specially designed for dry mouth. These will contain xylitol, a sweet-tasting alcohol derived from some plant tissues. Examples of xylitol-containing mouthwashes include ACT Total Care Dry Mouth Rinse and Biotene Dry Mouth Oral Rinse, the first product to earn the ADA Seal of Acceptance for dry mouth. Don’t reach for ones with alcohol or peroxide though, as they can be drying.

Breathe through your nose 
Train yourself to breathe through your nose, at least during the day when you have more control over it. Breathing through your mouth can dry out your mouth and nasal passages. If you are breathing through your mouth because of allergies or a cold, be sure to avoid antihistamines, which can make dry mouth worse because of their dehydrating properties. These are natural ways you can treat allergy symptoms.

Rethink your diet
Spicy or salty foods won’t necessarily make dry mouth worse, but they can cause pain in the mouth. Dry foods can also be tough to eat because of the lack of saliva in your mouth. “If you eat dry foods like crackers or potato chips, make sure you’re drinking water with them,” says Dr. Messina. If you’re experiencing pain or discomfort from these types of foods, stop eating them. Sticking to bland, moist foods at room temperature or cooler will be best for your mouth.

Gargle
Gargling with a mixture of warm water and up to a teaspoon of salt can help trigger salivary glands to secrete saliva, which can help relieve dry mouth.

Spice things up
Cayenne pepper, in your food or even applied directly to your tongue, can help stimulate the salivary glands. Fennel seeds contain flavonoids, which may help in the production of saliva as well. You can chew on fennel seeds a few times a day, especially after meals, or grind them with fenugreek seeds and add ½ tablespoon of the mixture to water after every meal. Cardamom has also been shown to have some benefit for dry mouth by moistening the mouth and relieving bad breath. They can be chewed directly or ground, boiled and steeped, as in a tea.

11 Halitosis Remedies to Help You Get Rid of Bad Breath

No matter what the cause is, bad breath and halitosis can be treated from home using natural remedies.
What are some causes and cures for bad breath? 
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Bad breath can have many different causes, from smoking cigarettes to the medications you take to the foods you eat. There are, however, some small changes and at-home treatments you can try as bad breath remedies before consulting your doctor. Whether you’re suffering from horrible morning breath or worry about bacteria buildup over the course of your day, here’s how to get rid of bad breath with easy, natural solutions.

Brush AND floss 
When determining how to get rid of bad breath, one of the easiest ways is to ensure that you have great dental hygiene. Brush and floss every day (and twice a day if possible) to reduce odorous bacteria in the mouth. Though skipping flossing may be tempting, it removes bits of food caught between teeth, which can cause bacterial growth (and halitosis) when ignored. And here are some more reasons to floss every day. You should also replace your toothbrush every two to three months so the bristles do not weaken over time and clean your teeth less effectively. If your halitosis still persists, you’ll need to take further steps to treat it.

Clean your tongue 
The tongue can be a breeding ground for smelly bacteria in your mouth, but it’s often overlooked when people brush. After brushing your teeth, use your toothbrush to brush your tongue as well. Or, invest in a tongue scraper as one of the more high-tech bad breath remedies.  

Hydrate 
Here’s how to get rid of bad breath in ten seconds or less: Take a swig of water. A common cause of halitosis is a dry mouth. The slowing of saliva production encourages the growth of bacteria that causes your breath to smell, which can help explain why you have horrible breath in the morning. Alleviate dry mouth by hydrating often, especially when you wake up, or during and after exercising. These are times dry mouth is most likely to occur.

Watch what you eat 
Some foods are known to cause bad breath, so one of the simplest bad breath remedies is to simply not eat them. Avoid foods that are highly acidic or high in fructose, as both encourage bacteria production. For a quick and easy snack that will help curb bad breath, reach for an apple or some yogurt. Apples are high in fiber and contain the heteropolysaccharide pectin, which stimulates saliva production, while the active cultures in yogurt will reduce bacteria in the mouth. Here are 7 surprising foods that give you seriously bad breath.

Use mouthwashes (but only some) 
Though mouthwash is purported to freshen breath, most will only mask unpleasant smells on a temporary basis. If you’re going to use mouthwash as a solution for bad breath, select a product that fights plaque to prevent bacterial growth, which will actually help treat halitosis as opposed to just covering it up. For an easy, alcohol-free mouthwash you can make at home, mix a cup of water with a teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of peppermint oil. The baking soda will squelch odor by adjusting the pH of your mouth and the peppermint will add a boost of freshness.   

Eat fennel seeds 
Wondering how to get rid of bad breath using only your spice cabinet? Chew on a handful of anise or fennel seeds, which have antiseptic properties that limit bacterial growth. Their scents can also cover up stinky breath.

Suck on a cinnamon stick 
Like cloves and fennel seeds, cinnamon is an effective antiseptic. Plus, it has essential oils that kill germs and will leave your mouth smelling nice. 

Bite into a clove 
This spice is rich in eugenol, a pale yellow oil that has antibacterial properties. To reap its benefits, put one clove in your mouth and bite into it. The oil may burn slightly, so keep moving the clove over your tongue. Once it’s covered your mouth, spit out the clove. Avoid using clove oil or powdered cloves, which could burn your mouth.

Chew a fruit rind 
Rinse off a lemon or orange rind before popping it in your mouth to chew on it. It will give your breath a burst of freshness and the citric acid will encourage glands to produce more saliva.  

Munch on a green plant 
Parsley, basil, mint, or cilantro all work as bad breath remedies because they contain chlorophyll, a pigment that neutralizes odors.

Remove your dentures 
If you wear dentures, remove them at nighttime and clean them daily to prevent odor-causing bacteria buildup. 

11 Symptoms of Shingles You Might Be Ignoring

Symptoms of shingles sometimes but not always include a painful rash caused by a reactivation of the chicken pox virus. Here are other signs.

Shingles symptom: Painful blisters 
It can sometimes be difficult to figure out why you might have painful blisters on your body. You might think a painful rash is due to an allergy, or maybe even bug bites. But painful blisters can sometimes be a sign of shingles, a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (the same virus that causes chicken pox) that can be extraordinarily painful. “Some people mistake shingles blisters for spider bites, says Tracy Lippard, MD, a geriatrician for Kaiser Permanente in Longmont, Colorado. “Getting care quickly is important, as the medication to treat shingles works best if it’s started within three days of the rash.”

Shingles symptom: Skin irritation on one side of the body 
This is one of the hallmark symptoms of shingles, also called herpes zoster. “Shingles is always on one side of the body,” says Randy Wexler, MD, a family physician at the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Gahanna, Ohio. “It never crosses the midline.”

Shingles symptom: Sensitivity to light 
A sudden sensitivity to bright light, whether sunshine or fluorescent lighting, can be a subtle sign that something is amiss. According to Larisa Geskin, MD, an associate professor of dermatology at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, it may mimic the feeling of a mild migraine coming on.

Shingles symptom: Flu-like feeling 
Got your flu shot but still feel like you’ve been hit by a truck? It could be one of the symptoms of shingles. “It’s literally like having the flu, with body aches, fatigue, and chills without fever,” says Dr. Geskin.  

Shingles symptom: Line of red bumps 
Red bumps in a certain pattern on your body could be one of the early symptoms of shingles. The rash can start with red bumps anywhere on the body, and usually takes a shape known as dermatomal, according to Dr. Geskin. That means they are usually linear and in a pattern related to the branches of the spinal nerve that innervates that section of the skin.

Shingles trigger: Stress 
It’s no secret that stress can wreak havoc on the immune system, but it can also be a trigger for shingles. “Stressors such as hospitalization for a medical illness or a huge financial setback may be overwhelming,” says Evan Rieder, MD, a dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York. According to Dr. Rieder, even mild stressors like a sleepless night or a runny nose can weaken the body’s immune system and allow reactivation of the virus that causes chicken pox and shingles.

Shingles symptom: Chest pain 
Chest pain is scary, but it’s not always a symptom of a heart attack. “Prior to the appearance of vesicles on the chest, patients may experience sharp or burning pain,” says Sylvia Morris, a board-certified internist in Atlanta. (Vesicles are fluid-filled blisters.) According to Dr. Morris, chest pain that feels itchy and painful to the touch could be an early sign of shingles.

Shingles symptom: Headache 
A nagging headache can come from stress, allergies, a reaction to certain foods—or the onset of shingles. A shingles-onset headache is unilateral, meaning it’s felt on only one side of the head. “The headache may be centered around the eye, the top of the head, or the forehead,” Dr. Morris says.

Shingles symptom: Pain 
It’s easy to ignore minor aches and pains, especially in middle age, but pay attention to the location. “One symptom that people might ignore is pain in a certain area even with no evidence of a rash,” says Patrick Fratellone, MD, an integrative physician and registered herbalist in New York. “There are a few patients who have shingles and no rash.” In those cases, a blood test can help with the diagnosis.

Shingles symptom: Pain around one eye

If you get migraines, you may be inclined to dismiss this as yet another headache. But don’t ignore this nuance because it could be one of the symptoms of shingles. “If you develop pain and tingling in the eye area along with any type of rash, see a doctor immediately,” says Kristine Arthur, MD, a board-certified internist at Orange Coast Memorial Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California. “If left untreated, it could cause blindness.”

Shingles symptom: Sharp, stabbing pain
“Shingles pain usually has a sharp stabbing, burning, intensely itchy, or pins-and-needles quality,” says Alison Lynch, MD, a primary care physician in San Diego, California. It usually shows up in the trunk area of the body, including the chest and upper and lower back. Dr. Lynch says this symptom can begin several days before the rash appears. Consider taking one of these over-the-counter medicines that ease every type of aches and pains.

The Surprising Health Benefits of Garlic

If you've ever wished for a food that tasted as good as it is healthy, we've got the goods for you, and it might be more obvious than you think. Easily the God of the flavor world, garlic has been a heavy hitter in almost every cuisine for centuries and is still a prominent mainstay in most everyday cook's kitchens. Not only is it unmatched in flavor, but this magical little bulb is a nutritional powerhouse as well.  

See for yourself in this breakdown of the health benefits of garlic.

It improves your cardiovascular health.

Garlic is integral in fighting disease and supporting cardiovascular health, says William W. Li, M.D., author of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. It's a potent natural chemical found in garlic called allicin, which is vital in producing nitric oxide, which helps to dilate blood vessels and lower blood pressure, says Dr. Li. Adding two bulbs to your daily diet (which might seem like a lot, until you make your own marinara) can help to lower blood pressure, improve heart health and help slow the effects of heart disease in the elderly, he adds.

It boosts your immunity.

Feeling a tickle in your throat? Double up on the minced garlic in your soup to take advantage of the benefit of garlic's antibiotic and antifungal properties. "Garlic stimulates your health defenses by triggering immune cells to release chemicals that activate the immune system to find and wipe out foreign invaders in the body, helping to protect against infection," explains Dr. Li. Garlic is also high in vitamin C, which can be helpful in preventing things like the common cold, flu, and internal infections.

It can support your weight loss goals.

Garlic also boasts health benefits that help support weight loss, improve your skin's health, and can act as an anti-ager.

Some research has also shown that garlic may help with weight management and control, as well. To get there, researchers fed mice a fattening diet for eight weeks to plump them up, then served them the same diet supplemented with 2 percent or 5 percent garlic for another seven weeks. The addition of garlic reduced the mice's body weight and fat storage and lessened the effects of the unhealthy diet on the animals' blood and liver values.  

It has beauty-boosting benefits.

As if this tasty ingredient wasn't good enough already, it's even been thought that garlic could also have beautifying properties. Certain minerals in garlic, such as manganese, magnesium, phosphorus, and calcium are beneficial in improving skin elasticity, which can help to prevent signs of aging, blemishes and even wrinkles, according to certified nutritionist Lisa Richards.

How to Cook and Eat It to Reap All the Benefits of Garlic

If you're just chopping garlic and tossing it into a pan, you might be missing out on some of garlic's health benefits. To get the most benefits of eating garlic, you want to crush it before cooking. Then let it sit at room temperature for a full 10 minutes before cooking. Studies have shown that this method helps retain about 70 percent of its beneficial natural compounds compared to cooking it immediately after crushing. That's because crushing the garlic supposedly releases an enzyme that's been trapped in the cells of the bulb. The enzyme boosts levels of health-promoting compounds, which peak a short window of time after being crushed and released. If the garlic is cooked before this, the enzymes are supposedly destroyed. 

Yikes: Bernie Sanders Says Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Would Play A Key Role In His White House

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) told ABC News Monday night that his new campaign trail-mate, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) would play a significant role in his White House if he is elected president.

ABC News wanted to know whether Sanders was considering Ocasio-Cortez as a potential running mate in the unlikely event he snags the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination and goes on to face President Donald Trump in a general election.

Sanders was non-committal on the answer but did say that Ocasio-Cortez would have a significant role in shaping both domestic and foreign policy in a Sanders administration.

“Look, I’ve said this before, let me say it again and I don’t want you to hear this because your head will explode,” Sanders said in the joint interview with the freshman New York legislator. “I don’t know of any person who, in the course of less than one year, has had more of an impact on American politics as a freshman member of Congress than she has.”

“It’s not only that she has focus on the real issues impacting the American people, like climate change, the usury rates that Wall Street are charging working people in this country, but she has been an inspiration to working people all across this country and to young people in particular,” Sanders gushed.

“I happen to believe that the future of this country depends on young people becoming increasingly involved in the political process and there’s nobody I know that can do a better job inspiring young people than Alexandria,” he continued.

“If I’m in the White House, she will play a very, very important role. No question. One way or another, absolutely,” Sanders concluded, acknowledging that her role could be a “Cabinet-level” position.

Ocasio-Cortez was among the first of the Congressional progressives to endorse Sanders, and has since brought fellow “squad” members, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), along for the ride. Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), the fourth member of the “squad” bucked the trend with a more logical endorsement, throwing her support behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).

Sanders has definitely reaped benefits from Ocasio-Cortez’s support, commanding more headlines and drawing more supporters to his events. His campaign re-launch, which came just a little over a week before the aging Senator suffered a mild heart attack, was one of his largest rallies to date. The Brooklyn gathering, which featured Ocasio-Cortez announcing her support for Sanders, drew thousands.

Sanders had hoped that Ocasio-Cortez, who grew up in a tony suburb of New York City and attended a pricey university before moving back to the Bronx to work as a waitress and bartender, would connect with the blue collar and working class Democrats he’ll need to secure both the nomination and win the election, according to TIME magazine.

Although Ocasio-Cortez has brought a measure of excitment to the geriatric politico’s campaign, she hasn’t really brought the target demographic. In a New York Times poll released last week, Trump bested Sanders in all of the key “battleground” states in the working class Rust Belt. The only candidate challenging Trump for the presidency was former Vice President Joe Biden, widely criticized by progressives like Ocasio-Cortez who believe — without much evidence — that the electorate has taken a significant shift leftward since 2006.