Why Is the Calorie on a Food Label Spelled with a Capital C?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hi there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why is the Calorie on a food label spelled with a capital C?

The Big Idea

Food labels list Calories. You may have noticed that the word starts with a capital C. That is not a mistake!

A Tiny Calorie

Step one: a tiny calorie. A small calorie is a tiny amount of energy. It is the heat needed to warm one gram of water by one degree Celsius.

A Big Calorie

Step two: a big Calorie. Food has so much more energy that scientists use the kilocalorie, which is a thousand small calories. On food labels, this bigger unit is written Calorie with a capital C.

Do the Math

Step three: do the math. So when a label says one hundred Calories, it really means one hundred thousand small calories. That is a lot of tiny units!

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look! A small calorie warms a drop. A big Calorie equals a thousand of them. Labels use the big one. The capital C is the clue.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! Many countries use kilojoules on food labels instead of Calories. Remember, a small calorie is a tiny amount of energy. A big Calorie equals one thousand small ones. Here is a fact to keep: The capital C is the clue.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! Look at three food labels with a grown-up. Find the Calories on each one. Rank the foods from the most Calories to the fewest. Does the order surprise you? Then tell a friend what you found out.

Outro

A Calorie with a capital C on a food label is a thousand small calories. That capital letter makes a big difference! Science is amazing! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!