Test Your Sugar IQ!

By Joe Wilkes

1. Which has more calories, brown sugar or white sugar? White sugar actually has more calories than brown sugar. But not many more—only about two calories an ounce. Traditional brown sugar almost always comes from the sugar beet. The extracted beet sugar is mixed with molasses (the by-product of the sugar extraction), which is what gives brown sugar its distinct color and flavor. Cane sugar is light brown in its natural state.
2. How much sugar typically makes kids hyperactive? Amazingly, none. Science has yet to establish any conclusive link between sugar and increases in hyperactivity in children. It is suspected that sugar may be taking a bad rap for caffeine, which, along with sugar, is present in many sodas and chocolaty snacks, and has been proven to hype up the rugrats.
3. How is powdered sugar, or confectioner's sugar, made? Powdered sugar is ground 10 times as fine as regular sugar and mixed with a small amount of cornstarch to prevent caking. So if you're ever cooking at home and run out of powdered sugar, just grind up some regular sugar in a blender with a pinch of cornstarch.
4. How many gallons of maple sap are needed to make one gallon of maple syrup? It takes 40 gallons of sap to produce one gallon of syrup. But the syrup isn't too bad of a sweetener. As maple sugar, it contains seven fewer calories per ounce than sugar, but contains many more essential minerals. Not quite a health food, but better than the white stuff.
5. Who played Sugar Kane in the 1959 film Some Like It Hot? Marilyn Monroe.