Which unit is used to measure energy content in food?

Which unit is used to measure energy content in food?

• A. Joule
• B. Calorie
• C. Watt
• D. Newton

Answer: (B)

In nutrition, energy content of food is expressed in Calories, which are kilocalories. One Calorie (capital C) equals 1 kilocalorie, or about 4,184 joules. This larger unit makes the sizable energy packages in foods easier to read on labels. A joule is a smaller unit of energy, so using it would yield awkwardly large numbers for foods. A watt measures power (energy per time), not total energy, and a newton is a unit of force. So Calories are the appropriate unit for describing how much energy food provides.

In nutrition, energy content of food is expressed in Calories, which are kilocalories. One Calorie (capital C) equals 1 kilocalorie, or about 4,184 joules. This larger unit makes the sizable energy packages in foods easier to read on labels. A joule is a smaller unit of energy, so using it would yield awkwardly large numbers for foods. A watt measures power (energy per time), not total energy, and a newton is a unit of force. So Calories are the appropriate unit for describing how much energy food provides.