Nutrition 101: 30 Basic Nutrition Facts You Need to Know

Vitamin A enriched rice developed nearly 15 years ago, could have prevented hundreds of thousands of cases of childhood blindness. It has never been used due to concerns over GMO foods.

2. Practically all animals make vitamin C in their bodies, so that they don't have to eat it. The exceptions are guinea pigs, fruit eating bats, the red-vented bulbul bird, and primates, including humans.

3. There is a fruit by the name of Black Sapote or "chocolate pudding fruit" which tastes like chocolate pudding and is actually low in fat and has about "4 times as much vitamin C as an orange".

4. Consuming a polar bear's liver will kill you because of its toxic levels of vitamin A.

5. Scurvy was documented as a disease by Hippocrates, and Egyptians have recorded its symptoms as early as 1550 B.C. The knowledge that consuming foods containing vitamin C is a cure for scurvy has been repeatedly rediscovered and forgotten into the early 20th century.

Potatoes have a bad reputation, but are actually highly beneficial to your health. They are packed with Vitamin C, Potassium, Fiber, Vitamin B6 and kukoamines which help aid in lowering blood pressure.

7. Ingo Potrykus who is the co-inventor of golden rice (a genetically engineered, vitamin-A-rich strain of rice that could save millions of lives in developing countries), has called for his product to be distributed for free to poor farmers.

8. Females on average have lighter skin than males so they can absorb more vitamin D and calcium used for breast milk.

9. Vitamins are so called because they are "VITal AMINeS" for your body.

10. Oranges are not even in the top ten list of common foods when it comes to vitamin C levels.

People who drink whole milk are less likely to be fat than those who consume low-fat milk.

12. There is a service in Las Vegas (Hangover Heaven) that will come to you and cure a hangover with iv fluids and iv vitamins.

13. Major brain damage from alcohol can be prevented by proper nutrition and is not directly caused by alcohol itself.

14. Milk contains magnesium, calcium, vitamin B, and theanine, all of which can help lower anxiety and depression.

15. Numerous studies find no evidence for Vitamin C (or other cold supplements) reducing/preventing colds and flu.

A protein called TRPM8 is what causes your brain to think something is colder than it is after eating something with mint.

17. Due to their similar protein composition, blood can be used as an egg substitute in baking and making ice cream.

18. Miraculin is a protein found in the West African "Miracle fruit" and unique sweetener that could help people with diabetes and obesity. It was mysteriously shot down by the FDA in the 1970's.

19. The 1945 Food and Nutrition Board Paper often quoted statement "humans require roughly 2.5 liters (8 glasses) per day", is only half of the full statement. The other half was "we get most of the fluid we need from food and other beverages."

20. Calorie for calorie, raw spinach has almost as much protein as sirloin steak.

The milk in California really is different than the milk in other states, 1% milk has 33% more protein and 33% more calcium because CA has "higher solid standards for milk".

22. The "% Daily Value" numbers found on nutrition labels in the US/Canada are based on recommendations from 1968 and have not been updated to reflect current recommendations. Something with "100% Daily Value" of Vitamin C has only 67% of an adult male's recommended daily intake.

23. A grain called Amaranth was the primary diet of the Aztecs until outlawed by the Spanish. It is gluten-free, can be roasted like popcorn, high in protein, has edible leaves and roots, and is used as a dye.

24. Over 20% of all calories collectively consumed by humanity are from a single food i.e., is rice.

25. The Cheesecake Factory's Bistro Shrimp Pasta has 3,120 calories and 89 grams of saturated fat and 1,090 milligrams of sodium. This is 150% of the daily recommended caloric intake for the average adult, in one meal.