Fun Fact: Candy for Cows
As a result of rising corn prices, some farmers now supplement cattle feed with candy, such as Skittles, as a way to provide a cheaper source of carbohydrates for the cows.
Fun Fact: Spelt
Spelt, a staple grain in Ancient Rome and medieval Europe, is especially rich in manganese, phosphorus, and niacin.
Fun Fact: Global Diets Before European Contact with the Americas
Before European contact with the Americas, tomatoes were not used in Italian food, peanuts were not used in Thai food, and chili peppers were not used in Indian food.
Fun Fact: Lemongrass
Lemongrass can be used to both repel mosquitos and attract honey bees. It is also a solid dietary source of iron, magnesium, and zinc.
Fun Fact: Cashews
Raw cashews contain urushiol, an allergenic chemical also found in poison ivy that causes a skin rash. Almost all cashews sold today have already been shelled and cooked to remove the urushiol.
Fun Fact: Chocolate
It takes about 400 cocoa beans to make one pound of chocolate, although some types of chocolate require even more than that.
Fun Fact: Santa's Diet
If Santa Claus visits 500 million homes this Christmas, and has two bites of cookie and one sip of milk at each house, he could easily consume more than 35 billion calories.
Fun Fact: Capsaicin
Capsaicin, a component in chili peppers that produces the heat sensation, is created by the pepper plant to stop animals from eating its fruit. It does not affect birds, which spread the plant’s seeds.
Fun Fact: Kumquats
Kumquats are one of the highest fruit sources of calcium. They are also rich in fiber, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
Fun Fact: Peanut Oil
Peanut oil can be processed to produce glycerol, a component used to make the explosive liquid nitroglycerine, which is a key ingredient in dynamite.
Fun Fact: Thanksgiving Calories
The average American consumes about 3000 calories during the Thanksgiving meal.
Fun Fact: Vegetables in Space
In 1995, the potato became the first vegetable to be grown in space. More recently, in 2015, astronauts on the International Space Station ate red romaine lettuce grown in space.
Fun Fact: Food Dye
Americans are consuming five times as much food dye today as they did in 1955. Artificial colors Red 40, Yellow 5, and Yellow 6 are the most widely used food dyes.
Fun Fact: Cranberries
Cranberries bounce when they’re ripe. Many cranberry farmers today use a machine that simulates bouncing to sort out the freshest cranberries.
Fun Fact: Onions and Tooth Decay
Worried about cavities this Halloween? Onions contain antimicrobial compounds that researchers have found may destroy the bacteria responsible for tooth decay.
Fun Fact: Pumpkin
The pumpkin, a close relative of the zucchini and the watermelon, is an excellent source of vitamin A. Pumpkin seeds are also rich in potassium.
Fun Fact: Beets
Beets offer the highest sugar content of any vegetable. They are also an excellent source of folate.
Fun Fact: Spruce Trees
Often used as Christmas trees, spruce trees are a rich source of lignans.
Fun Fact: Artichokes
Artichokes are one of the highest vegetable sources of antioxidants. They are also a good source of fiber and vitamin C.
Fun Fact: Cloves
Cloves are one of the richest dietary sources of polyphenols, with more than 15,000 mg of polyphenols per 100 g.
Friday Fun Fact: Resveratrol
Red grapes produce resveratrol to defend against fungal infections and other environmental stressors. Organic grapes, which are grown without fungicides, have especially high resveratrol content.
Friday Fun Fact: Cherries
Helicopters are used to dry cherries during the wet season. Without their use, the tender skins of cherries might very well break.
Friday Fun Fact: Coconut Water
In emergency situations, coconut water has been used as a short-term intravenous hydration fluid when medical saline was unavailable. Most physicians today do not recommend this practice.
Friday Fun Fact: Dried Apricots
Dried apricots are one of the best fruit sources of protein. They are also high in vitamin A.
Friday Fun Fact: Broccoli Consumption
Fresh broccoli consumption is about 12 times higher in the United States today than it was in 1970. Americans now consume about 6 lbs of broccoli per person per year.
Friday Fun Fact: Bananas
The majority of bananas found in supermarkets today are genetically identical Cavendish bananas. That makes it possible for a single plant disease to devastate the world’s banana supply.
Friday Fun Fact: Time Spent Eating
Americans spend an average of 80 minutes eating per day, the USDA reports. But 16 of those minutes are spent eating as a “secondary activity” to watching TV, working, socializing, or engaging in other activities.
Friday Fun Fact: Raspberries
Raspberries are one of the best fruit sources of fiber, providing around 8 grams of fiber per cup. They are also high in vitamin C.
Friday Fun Fact: Flavr Savr Tomato
The Flavr Savr tomato, the first genetically engineered food approved for U.S. commercial sale, was only sold from 1994–1997. High production costs prevented it from turning a profit.
Friday Fun Fact: Calories from Alcohol and Sugar
On average, Americans who drink alcohol obtain 16% of their total daily calories from alcoholic beverages. American children obtain about 16% of their total calories from added sugar.