Amount of Saturated Fat in Foods
| Food (1 tbs or 14 g) | Saturated fat (g) |
| ----------------------- | ----------------- |
| Olive oil | 2 |
| Margarine | 2 |
| Butter | 7 |
| Lard | 5 |
| Canola oil | 1 |
Which food contains the most kcal/gram, based on the data in the table?
A. margarine
B. lard
C. butter
D. canola oil
Answer (1)
Calculate the saturated fat per gram for margarine: 14 2 ≈ 0.143 g/g.
Calculate the saturated fat per gram for lard: 14 5 ≈ 0.357 g/g.
Calculate the saturated fat per gram for butter: 14 7 = 0.5 g/g.
Calculate the saturated fat per gram for canola oil: 14 1 ≈ 0.071 g/g. Butter has the highest value. Therefore, butter contains the most kcal/gram. b u tt er
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We are given a table that shows the amount of saturated fat in different foods. The question asks us to determine which food contains the most kcal/gram, based on the data in the table. We will assume that the kcal content is directly proportional to the saturated fat content. Therefore, we need to find the food with the highest saturated fat content per gram.
Calculating Saturated Fat per Gram To find the food with the most kcal/gram, we need to calculate the saturated fat per gram for each of the given food options: margarine, lard, butter, and canola oil. The table provides the saturated fat content for a 14g serving of each food.
Margarine Calculation Margarine: The table shows that margarine contains 2g of saturated fat per 14g serving. Therefore, the saturated fat per gram is 14 2 ≈ 0.143 g/g.
Lard Calculation Lard: The table shows that lard contains 5g of saturated fat per 14g serving. Therefore, the saturated fat per gram is 14 5 ≈ 0.357 g/g.
Butter Calculation Butter: The table shows that butter contains 7g of saturated fat per 14g serving. Therefore, the saturated fat per gram is 14 7 = 0.5 g/g.
Canola Oil Calculation Canola Oil: The table shows that canola oil contains 1g of saturated fat per 14g serving. Therefore, the saturated fat per gram is 14 1 ≈ 0.071 g/g.
Comparing Values Comparing the saturated fat per gram values for each food, we have:
Margarine: ≈ 0.143 g/g
Lard: ≈ 0.357 g/g
Butter: 0.5 g/g
Canola oil: ≈ 0.071 g/g
Butter has the highest saturated fat per gram value (0.5 g/g).
Final Answer Therefore, based on the assumption that kcal content is directly proportional to saturated fat content, butter contains the most kcal/gram.
Examples
Understanding the saturated fat content in foods is crucial for making informed dietary choices. For example, if you're cooking and want to minimize your saturated fat intake, you can use this information to choose canola oil over butter. This knowledge helps in managing cholesterol levels and promoting heart health, demonstrating how nutritional data directly impacts everyday health decisions.
