Figuring Out Food: Part 2 – The Analysis

A protein is a collection of many amino acids that are linked together in chains.  A protein’s structure and function are determined by which amino acids of which it is composed and their order.  The nutrition label for Kirkland’s Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels does not list the percentage of protein that contributes to the daily value, but the % Daily Values listed for everything else represent how much of one’s recommended daily value (according to the FDA) of a nutrient can be consumed by eating one serving of the corresponding food, based on a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet.  The ingredients in the Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels that contribute to the protein are the enriched wheat flour, peanut butter, barley malt extract, and yeast.  70 of the calories in this food come from protein, as evidenced by the label saying that 70 of the calories come from fat, and that there are 140 calories in total, leaving 70 remaining calories which come from protein.

Fat is three fatty acid chains all linked to one glycerol.  One serving of Peanut Butter Filled Pretzels contributes to 12% of one’s recommended daily value of fat, based on a 2,000 calorie-per-day diet.  The ingredients that are contributing to fat content are peanut butter, and canola/soybean oil.  They contain saturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and monounsaturated fat.  Saturated fats contain no double bonds, polyunsaturated fats contain many double bonds, and monounsaturated fats contain one double bond.  We should care because we need to eat less saturated fats, as our bodies produce enough of it on their own, while unsaturated fats need to be ingested to maintain one’s health.  70 of the calories in this food come from fat, as can be read on the label next to the total calories.