Michael McKean hosts “Food: Fact or Fiction?”

Rise and shine, it's breakfast time! Let's see, I'll take four slices of bacon (just a little bit crispy), two eggs (poached, if possible), a big glass of orange juice (freshly squeezed, please), a couple of slices of toast (sourdough preferred) and a big stack of pancakes (with real maple syrup -- none of that imitation stuff). Oh yeah, and don't forget the coffee -- and lots of it!

It's big, it's hearty, and it's the most important meal of the day. Or is it?

That's the big question being asked on "Food: Fact or Fiction," Cooking Channel's new show, premiering Monday, Oct. 26, and airing Monday evenings.

Hosted by actor and Grammy-winning musician Michael McKean ("This Is Spinal Tap," 1984), each episode of "Food: Fact or Fiction" will tackle some of the adages and factoids that "everybody knows" about the foods that we eat every day.

As for breakfast, once McKean checks out the science to see if the day's first meal is also its most important, he'll also be exploring just how the classic American breakfast came to be. After all, as any international traveler can attest, the big, hearty and meaty breakfast that's the norm here is far from typical around the world.

Speaking of other countries, there will even be a whole episode devoted to the origins of international dishes. Ever wondered if french fries are really from France? What about Chinese fortune cookies? Sure, every Chinese buffet hands them out at the end of a meal, but are they really from China -- or are they an entirely American invention?

If there's someone who would never lie to us, it's our moms. "An apple a day keeps the doctor away," "chicken soup is good for a cold," "carrots are good for your eyes" -- so many of us grew up with these little tidbits of wisdom coming from our mothers, but how true are they, really? There will be an entire episode devoted to fact-checking our moms to see if those health claims really stand up to the latest science.

Of course, it's not really lying if our mothers actually believed what they were saying is true -- and besides, even if apples don't act as doctor repellent, choosing them for snacks instead of something unhealthy couldn't have been a bad idea.

Find out which food facts that "everybody knows" are actually facts -- and which are rotting chunks of untruth -- with "Food: Fact or Fiction," premiering Monday, Oct. 26, on Cooking Channel.