Question

You go out to lunch one day and order a giant steak and a baked potato with sour cream. You ask for the nutritional information, and find out your lunch contains 51 g of carbohydrates (assume no fiber), 29 g of protein, and 40 g of fat. Does this lunch have a balanced energy ratio? If not, what macronutrient should be increased?

Answer 1

This lunch does not yet have a balanced energy ratio. Carbohydrate ought to be increased to the stipulated 45 to 65 percent.

Step-by-step explanation:

Total mass = 51 + 29 + 40 =120g

The percentage of calories from each is;

Carbohydrate - 51/120 * 100 = 42.5 %

Protein - 29/120 * 100 = 24.17 %

Fat - 40/120 * 100 = 33.33 %

According to the National Academy of Sciences, a balanced energy ratio for an adult diet should contain;

• 10 to 35 percent of calories from protein,

• 20 to 35 percent from fat, and

• 45 to 65 percent from carbohydrates.

Hence this lunch does not yet have a balanced energy ratio. Carbohydrate ought to be increased to the stipulated 45 to 65 percent.