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 not:

Carbs have 4.5 calories a gram.

Protein has 4.5 calories a gram.

Fat has 9 calories a gram.

Calories are allowed to be rounded on labeling in the U.S.; but unless something has so little macro-nutrients that it has less than 0.5 calories, it will have calories to have any nutritional value (nutritional value is not the same as supplemental value – like the zero calorie multi-vitamin that has lots of micro nutrients).

However, they are some chemical sweeteners that do not have calories, but the health damage from them is vast, and they are best to be avoided. There are natural and lower calories sweeteners that are acceptable (honey, stevia, coconut sugar, etc.), but the zero cal sweeteners are generally carcinogenic (cancer causing) and best completely avoided.