Why do grains have so many more carbs than other plant foods, like nuts or lettuce?

Question

Googling isn’t helping, because the results are all from health and diet pages. I’m trying to find a science answer.

[Request] Please try and actually explain this to a 5-10yo. I have a kid in that age range who’s the one actually asking the question. I can do my best to bring an “I graduated high school” answer down to his level, but I might struggle to bring an “I’ve completed some college and have a basic background in biochemistry” answer to his level. Thanks!

In: 62

Answer 1

Energy is the simple answer. Grains are the seeds of grasses, basically. They’re little packages of energy that are designed to give life to the new plant, even if it is covered by dirt or other materials and needs to grow a lot before getting energy from the sun.

The way we have grown these crops has added to how many carbs there are, through selective growing, and we also tend to remove the other parts of the seeds and favour just the carbs.

Other plants tend to be really high in fat, like nuts, as an energy source for their potential next generation.

The short answer is baby plants need energy and carbs are a good source.

Answer 2

Energy is the simple answer. Grains are the seeds of grasses, basically. They’re little packages of energy that are designed to give life to the new plant, even if it is covered by dirt or other materials and needs to grow a lot before getting energy from the sun.

The way we have grown these crops has added to how many carbs there are, through selective growing, and we also tend to remove the other parts of the seeds and favour just the carbs.

Other plants tend to be really high in fat, like nuts, as an energy source for their potential next generation.

The short answer is baby plants need energy and carbs are a good source.