Question

Which food likely has the FEWEST calories per gram of serving and why? A) Grape jelly because it's mostly simple sugars. B) Peanut butter because it contains plant-based fats. C) Whole milk because most of the animal fat remains. D) Bread because it contains a combination of complex carbohydrates, simply sugars and plant-based fats.

Answer 1

A) Grape jelly because it's mostly simple sugars.

Explanation: Simple sugars are small molecules with few carbon atoms and few chemical bonds to break. Both complex carbohydrates and lipids require greater oxidation and provide more energy and more calories. Whole milk contains animal fat, that produces more calories when broken down. (USA Testprep explanation)

Answer 2

Grape jelly because it's mostly simple sugars.

Step-by-step explanation:

Carbohydrates and proteins obtain around 4 calories per gram each while fats obtain 9 calories per gram. A simple sugar consists of monosaccharide that can directly enter the cellular respiration to obtain energy. Complex carbohydrates are digested into simpler sugars. Digestion of complex carbohydrates obtains more of simple sugars to serve as an energy source.

Among the given options, peanut butter, whole milk, and bread have fats that obtain around double the energy per gram as compared to carbohydrates. Bread also contains complex carbohydrates that release many simple sugars upon digestion. Therefore, grape jelly with simple sugars would give the fewest calories per gram.