Question

5. Paul eats a cheeseburger for lunch. This burger supplies about 450 kcal, 15 g fat, 50 g
carbohydrate, and 29 g protein. According to your calculations, estimate the approximate
percentages of total kilocalories in the burger that are contributed by fat, carbohydrate, and
protein. Show your work. (5 pts)

Answer 1

Answer:

- Percentage of kcal from fat: 30%

- Percentage of kcal from carbohydrate: 44%

- Percentage of kcal from protein: 26%

Explanation:

To calculate the percentage of total kilocalories contributed by fat, carbohydrate, and protein in the cheeseburger, we first need to know the caloric values per gram for each:

- Fat: 9 kcal/g

- Carbohydrate: 4 kcal/g

- Protein: 4 kcal/g

Next, we calculate the total kcal provided by each macronutrient:

- Fat: $15 \text{ g} \times 9 \text{ kcal/g} = 135 \text{ kcal}$

- Carbohydrate: $50 \text{ g} \times 4 \text{ kcal/g} = 200 \text{ kcal}$

- Protein: $29 \text{ g} \times 4 \text{ kcal/g} = 116 \text{ kcal}$

Then, we calculate the percentage of total kilocalories for each macronutrient:

- Percentage of kcal from fat: $\frac{135 \text{ kcal}}{450 \text{ kcal}} \times 100 = 30\%$

- Percentage of kcal from carbohydrate: $\frac{200 \text{ kcal}}{450 \text{ kcal}} \times 100 = 44\%$

- Percentage of kcal from protein: $\frac{116 \text{ kcal}}{450 \text{ kcal}} \times 100 = 26\%$

Tips:

- Remember the caloric value per gram for each macronutrient: 9 kcal/g for fat, 4 kcal/g for carbohydrate and protein.

- To find the percentage contribution of each macronutrient to total calories, calculate the total calories from each macronutrient and divide by the total calories of the meal.

- Multiply the result by 100 to convert the fraction to a percentage.