Eli5: How can edible items have 0 calories in them while still contain nutritional items like carbs (sugars and other sweeteners), vitamins, and amino acids (BCAAs etc.)?

Question

Eli5: How can edible items have 0 calories in them while still contain nutritional items like carbs (sugars and other sweeteners), vitamins, and amino acids (BCAAs etc.)?

In: Chemistry

Answer 1

They can’t really have 0 calories, but they could theoretically have 0 *net* calories. This means that the amount of energy you get from the food is equal to the amount of energy it takes your body to digest it. So, effectively, it does nothing for you.

Imagine you’re buying and selling items at a market. If you sell an item for the same price you bought it, you have a profit of £0 even though someone gave you money for it. This is like the net calorific value.