Below are some interesting facts about food.
- Pacific oysters are high in zinc, iron1, iodine2 and the essential amino acids3 taurin and hypotaurine which reduce blood cholesterol levels.
- New Zealanders eat about 60 million pies a year, which means that each person eats on average 15 pies a year
- Almonds and dates, both mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible, were among the earliest cultivated foods.
- Phosphoric acid4 makes soft drinks fizzy and acidic like lemon juice, so lots of sugar is added to make them taste sweet.
- A child eating a pie, chips, a cookie and a fizzy drink for lunch is likely to consume 10 teaspoons of fat and 20 of sugar.
- One standard can of soft drink (330 mls) contains up to 10 teaspoons of sugar.
- About 1/2 of the calories5 in the average fast food meal come from fat.
- You have to inherit a mutation6 to be able to digest milk as an adult and 65-75% of the world’s population7 are unable to digest the milk sugar lactose8.
- If you can digest milk, this is due to a genetic mutation9 in your DNA10 that first arose 12,000–10,000 years ago.
- The most common causes of food allergies are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish and wheat.
- We should consume a balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids11, but a typical American diet tends to consist of 14–25 times more omega-6 fatty acids than omega-3.
- A diet rich in omega-3 during pregnancy and breastfeeding can improve brain development in children.
Potatos
- Potatoes originated in South America where they have been grown for over 2,000 years.
- Potatoes can be grown in a bucket? You keep adding more soil as the shoots grow.
- Blight, a fungus12 disease13 affecting potatoes, wiped out almost all Ireland’s potato crops in 1845 and 1846. For most of the population, this was their main food source.
- By the early 19th century, potatoes had replaced fern roots as the main staple food in the Māori diet.
- Potatoes were extensively used by Māori as currency, which they used to barter for iron from European ships. Māori would often save potatoes for trade rather than eat them.
Food from the sea
- Omega-3 fatty acids14 are most abundant in fish living in cold waters, such as mackerel, salmon and sardines.
- One serving of salmon provides close to the recommended daily allowance of omega-3.
- The omega-3 fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) is found only in fish. DHA can improve brain development.
- Did you ever wonder why whitebait don't get sunburnt? They have a sun protection factor (SPF).
- The greenshell mussel (Perna canaliculus) is native15 to New Zealand and is not found anywhere else in the world.
- Pāua16 grow larger in cold water than in warm water.
- New Zealand has more than 600 varieties of seaweed. There are three different genuses (types) of seaweed grown commercially in New Zealand.
Find out more about foods.
- iron: A chemical element with the symbol Fe.
- iodine: Chemical symbol I, atomic number 53. A non-metallic halogen element usually seen as heavy shining blackish grey crystals. Used in medicine as an antisepsis and for the treatment of goitre and cretinism.
- amino acid: The basic building block of proteins. A short chain of amino acids is called a peptide, and a long chain of amino acids (normally more than 50) is called a protein.
- acid: A hydrogen-containing substance that is capable of donating a hydrogen ion to another substance.
- calorie: A non-SI unit of energy defined as being the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 °C. A measure of energy in food.
- mutation: Occurs when the DNA is damaged or changed in such a way that it alters the genetic message carried by that gene.
- population: In biology, a population is a group of organisms of a species that live in the same place at a same time and that can interbreed.
- lactose: A type of sugar found in milk and milk products.
- genetic mutation: A base change in the DNA strand.
- DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) is a molecule that contains the instructions needed for an organism to develop and function. These instructions are stored as a code made up of four chemical bases: adenine (A), guanine (G), cytosine (C) and thymine (T).
- acid: A hydrogen-containing substance that is capable of donating a hydrogen ion to another substance.
- fungi: The Fungi are a kingdom separate from plants and animals. Like animals, a fungus (or fungi – plural) is an organism that cannot make its own food. It can be multicellular such as mushrooms and moulds, or unicellular such as yeasts. Fungi may be decomposers, parasites, or mutualists (helping plants to grow).
- diseases: 1. An abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions. 2. In plants, an abnormal condition that interferes with vital physiological processes.
- omega-3 fatty acids: Although the body is capable of synthesising saturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, it cannot produce the essential fatty acids such as ω-3 (omega-3) and ω-6 (omega-6). These acids are required for the construction of cell membranes and as precursors for the production of hormones.
- native: A species that lives naturally in a country, as opposed to species that have been introduced by the activity of humans.
- pāua: Large edible sea snails that are found around the coastline of New Zealand. They grow large shells that, when polished, have a blue, green and purple iridescent appearance.