True description of energy-dense foods?

• A. They are high in water content
• B. They are always low in fat
• C. They provide many calories per unit weight but often few micronutrients
• D. They provide many micronutrients per calorie

Answer: (C)

Energy-dense foods are defined by how many calories they provide per gram of weight. They pack a lot of energy into a small amount of food, often because they’re high in fat or refined sugars and have relatively low water content. Because of this, you can consume a large number of calories without eating a lot of food, and these foods don’t necessarily supply a lot of vitamins and minerals relative to their calories. That’s why the statement describing them as delivering many calories per unit weight but often having few micronutrients is correct. The other descriptions don’t fit: high water content would lower energy density, being always low in fat isn’t required since many energy-dense foods are high in fat, and providing many micronutrients per calorie describes nutrient-dense rather than energy-dense foods.