Question

According to a nutritional database, a peanut has 6.17 c/g, a corn chip has 5.39 c/g, and honeycomb has 3.91 c/g. excluding the possibility that the nutritional information is wrong, what could explain any differences observed?

Answer 1

Differences in caloric value per gram between peanuts, corn chips, and honeycomb are due to their respective fat, protein, and carbohydrate content.

Step-by-step explanation:

The differences in caloric content per gram between peanuts, corn chips, and honeycomb can be explained by the varying compositions of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates within each food. Nutritional databases provide values like calories per gram which reflect the energy content of foods, based on their macronutrient makeup. Peanuts are higher in fats, which have more calories per gram compared to proteins and carbohydrates, explaining their higher caloric value of 6.17 c/g. Corn chips, which are processed and often contain fats as well, have a slightly lower c/g value, while the honeycomb, primarily made up of sugars (carbohydrates), has the lowest c/g value due to carbohydrates and proteins having fewer calories per gram than fats.

To assist in understanding the nutritional composition, consider the nutritional information of a serving of peanut butter. It contains 7 g of protein, 15 g of fat, and 3 g of sugar. Since fats contain more calories per gram, the high fat content elevates the calorie content.