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Facts about Food and Drinks

It is a fact that all of us love our food and it is definitely a necessity. To put it simply, we cannot live without food. So, is it not essential to learn some awesome and fun facts of the food that we generally eat and which you may not likely know? Check out these amazing facts related to food and drinks.

• Did you know that according to the popular market research company, Nielsen, that fresh bread is the most commonly purchased food despite our love for cheeseburgers, pizza, and other fast food?
• Did you know that according to the popular Fitness Magazine, one of the healthiest foods in the world is the lemon? It is mainly because one lemon contains not only our daily dose of Vitamin C, it also cleanses the liver, aids in weight loss and also boosts our immunity
• Did you know that according to the Wikipedia, that Americans consume over 22 liters of ice cream per head, annually, which is the most by any country in the world? Most of this ice cream is consumed at night, mainly between nine and 11 p.m. The ice cream is deeply ingrained into the American psyche and has been available in America since its founding in 1776.
• Did you know that the banana tree is not a true fruit but a giant herb? Additionally, the banana is actually the berry of the banana tree. A banana plant produces only one bunch, but that bunch may have between 100 to 400 bananas. The banana is also sterile and no fertilization takes place in the banana flowers. A banana plant grows, only when one of its shoots is planted.
• Likewise, onion, or large pearl (Latin name), represented eternity for the ancient Egyptians, and were found in the eyes of King Ramses the fourth. It was also respectable to send a basket of onions as a funeral offering in ancient Egypt, second only to a basket of bread.
• Did you know that the earliest form of processed food occurred in early hunting cultures? Hunters who made the kill would be rewarded with a meal of the partially digested contents taken from the stomach of their kill. It might sound gross, but is it not what processed is all about?
• Be careful, the next time you buy shiny apple or a pile of jellybeans. Think twice, before gobbling them up. This is because both of them are likely to be covered with a layer of shellac so as to make them look shiny and appealing. Shellac, as you know is commonly used to give a shiny effect to furniture and wooden floors. Besides, shellac is also made from the excreta of the female lac beetle.
• Most of the food preservatives that we eat regularly are likely products that you would likely never eat. Chemicals such as BHT or butylated hydroxytoluene are commonly used to prevent food from being spoilt. It is even more surprising that it is commonly found in embalming fluid and also in jet fuel. Sodium nitrite also prevents bacteria growth in meats, but then it is also used in textile dyes and metal coatings. Most of these preservatives are frighteningly versatile and consuming them likely causes cancer.
• Did you know that the toothbrush that you put in your mouth twice every day is one of the most contaminated items in the toilet? The average toothbrush has around trillions of germs including bacteria like E. coli and staphylococci sticking to it. Your toothbrush is likely to be sitting on your bathroom counter and gets a nice mist, each time someone else flushes the toilet. Add to that, we never sanitize or disinfect them, after or before use. Do we cover them after we sneeze, or do we keep it in a dry environment and that too covered? Basically, it is advisable to disinfect it regularly and run it through your dishwasher often. Phew.
• Did you know that the costliest coffee, literally comes from the feces of the civet? Surprised? In fact, Kopi Luwak are the coffee beans that come from the cat-liked mammal, civet feces. This is mainly because, these animals’ staple diet are the finest ripe coffee berries. They then excrete the partially digested or processed beans, which are harvested and put up for sale. This makes Kopi Luwak, the most expensive or costliest coffee in the world. It sells for anything between USD120 to USD600 per pound. Their main markets are United States and Japan, but it is increasingly becoming fashionable in other countries as well.
• Did you know that the Popsicle was invented by mistake and that too by an eleven-year-old kid, who kept it a secret for nearly eighteen years? The kid’s name was Frank Epperson. In 1905, Frank left a mixture of water and powdered soda out on his porch. It also contained a stir stick. That night, fortunately for Frank, the temperatures fell to a record low temperature. As a result, he discovered the substance had frozen to the stir stick, thus creating a frozen fruit flavored ice treat. He decided to call it the epsicle, which was later pater patented by him and named as Popsicle.
• Did you know that lemon juice was thought to dissolve fish bones that have been accidentally ingested? This was the reason why during the Middle Ages, a lemon slice was always served with fish, so that it can be spread on the fish and it was certain that its juice would dissolve any bones that were accidentally swallowed.

Enjoy these fun food facts for kids. To go through more such interesting facts about food and nutrition, do visit our archives. Have a nice day.

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