13 facts you should know about what you eat
Multiply by 4
To find the number of calories from sugar in a product, multiply the grams by 4. For example, a product containing 15 grams of sugar has 60 calories from sugar per serving.
Satiety
While foods rich in fiber, fat, and protein help make a person feel full, sugar does not create feelings of satiety.
The sweetest compound
The sweetest compound known is called lugduname. It’s over 20,000 times sweeter than sugar.
World’s oldest ingredients
Sugar is one of the world’s oldest ingredients. The people of New Guinea were most likely the first to domesticate sugar cane around 8000 B.C.
One teaspoon of sugar
One teaspoon of white sugar has 15 calories and one teaspoon of corn syrup (a type of sugar) has 20 calories. Soft drinks are responsible for most of the added sugar in the average American diet.
Aging cells
A 2009 study found that glucose consumption accelerated the aging of cells in the body. Additionally, a 2012 study found that excess sugar consumption was tied to deficiencies in memory and overall cognitive processing.
White Gold
Until the late 1500s, sugar was called “White Gold,” and European nobility used it to display their social standing. After about 1600 on, technological improvements and New World sources helped turn sugar into a bulk commodity.
The word “sugar”
The word “sugar” originates from the Sanskrit word sharkara, which means “material in a granule form.” In Arabic, it is sakkar; Turkish is sheker; Italian is zucchero; and Yoruba speakers in Nigeria call it suga.
The doughnut hole
Researchers have noted that the size of the hole in a doughnut correlates with the quality of the economy. Specifically, the worse the economy, the bigger the doughnut hole.
Most expensive donut
The world’s most expensive donut is made of 24k edible gold, edible diamonds, and aged chocolate balsamic vinegar. The remaining ingredients are top secret. They sell for $100 a piece.
Doughnut diet
If a person added a doughnut a day to their regular diet, they would gain about one extra pound every 10 days.
Over 10 billion
Over 10 billion doughnuts are made in the U.S. each year.
National Donut Day
National Donut Day is on the first Friday of every June. The holiday was established in 1938 to celebrate the Salvation Army Workers (“Doughnut Girls”) who supplied free donuts to American troops during WWI. Another holiday celebrating the ubiquitous fried treat is National Doughnut Appreciation Day, which falls on November 5.