posted
Comment: I heard a while ago that licking the glue on one envelope has the nutritional equivalent of one calorie. Any truth to that?
Posts: 36029 | From: Admin | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
I'd guess envelope glue is similar composition, and about 4 or 5 times the amount.
Posts: 39 | From: London, England | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
posted
That many calories for a STAMP? I'm not worried about my weight but DAMN!
~Monica
-------------------- "Run for five minutes? Why don't you just shoot me now?"--Comic Book Guy (Simpsons) Posts: 219 | From: Cleveland, Ohio | Registered: Dec 2005
| IP: Logged |
Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
quote:Originally posted by Ron Miel: some information about the glue on postage stamps here: http://tinyurl.com/yc5gas
1 stamp = 5.9 calories.
I'd guess envelope glue is similar composition, and about 4 or 5 times the amount.
That presumably counts all the glue, though. You would only ingest a fraction of that amount when you licked the stamp - otherwise you'd have licked all the glue off and it wouldn't stick. Ideally you wouldn't ingest any, really, just moisten it.
These days, stamps in the UK come on a peel-off backing so that you don't need to lick them anyway.
(edit) I also wonder whether it means calories rather than kilocalories. Usually when you're talking about food, "calorie" means kilocalorie. The 5.9 figure might be in units 1 / 1000 of that - otherwise it does seem very high. According to a table here, pure sugar only has 3.95 (kilo)calories per gram, and fat has 9 (kilo)calories per gram. There must be a lot less than a gram of glue on a stamp.
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
quote:Originally posted by Ron Miel: some information about the glue on postage stamps here: http://tinyurl.com/yc5gas
1 stamp = 5.9 calories.
I'd guess envelope glue is similar composition, and about 4 or 5 times the amount.
That presumably counts all the glue, though. You would only ingest a fraction of that amount when you licked the stamp - otherwise you'd have licked all the glue off and it wouldn't stick. Ideally you wouldn't ingest any, really, just moisten it.
These days, stamps in the UK come on a peel-off backing so that you don't need to lick them anyway.
(edit) I also wonder whether it means calories rather than kilocalories. Usually when you're talking about food, "calorie" means kilocalorie. The 5.9 figure might be in units 1 / 1000 of that - otherwise it does seem very high. According to a table here, pure sugar only has 3.95 (kilo)calories per gram, and fat has 9 (kilo)calories per gram. There must be a lot less than a gram of glue on a stamp.
Yeah, that's the difference between a calorie and a Calorie. Food energy is generally talking about Calories (1 kilocalorie is a Calorie, they could've been a little more inventive to stop this confusion). This article is talking about calories and not making the distinction because if they did they wouldn't really have a story.
ETA: To be fair, it's not really an article. Just an answer to a question, but still.
posted
When I read the the article(or answer/question) I presumed the calorie count included the glue and the stamp. Then again, not many people go around eating stamps. Or do they?
-------------------- On my old guitar sell tickets, so someone can finally pick it. Posts: 799 | From: Dublin, Ireland | Registered: Mar 2006
| IP: Logged |
Richard W
Ding Dong! Merrily on High Definition TV
posted
quote:Originally posted by stalker: Yeah, that's the difference between a calorie and a Calorie. Food energy is generally talking about Calories (1 kilocalorie is a Calorie, they could've been a little more inventive to stop this confusion). This article is talking about calories and not making the distinction because if they did they wouldn't really have a story.
Aha, I didn't realise that Calorie (as in kilocalorie) was capitalized. That makes the names of the two units very very very slightly less confusing.
Posts: 8725 | From: Ipswich - the UK's 9th Best Place to Sleep! | Registered: Feb 2000
| IP: Logged |
posted
Yeah, it's the old question about losing weight by drinking iced drinks. Drink iced cola, your body loses heat and must expend energy to equalize. You burn 150 calories to drink a measure, but the drink only contains 100 Calories. So you should lose weight.
Well, no, because 1 Calorie = 1000 calories.
I think theres a snopes article about it somewhere.
Posts: 39 | From: London, England | Registered: Sep 2005
| IP: Logged |
UBBFriend: Email this page to someone!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
