Key Lime and Energy

Most recent answer: 12/29/2016

Q:
Hi, I recently conducted a sf experiment where I hypothesized that consuming key limes can increase energy levels. There hasn't been any research that I could find that could directly support my claim. However, since I have advanced to the next round I had to find up some type of information somewhere and my judge from Georgia Tech said that I was on the right track and that I should try to redirect my claim toward something that related to how our body uses electricity and how consuming key limes would have an effect on that(if that makes sense). The other judge suggested that I research electrolysis and I did, and that was not enough. So I researched some info about how ions (which I know key limes have) are used in our body. Ions generate electricity and our body uses electricity to do everything right? Electricity is used to send signals throughout our body from out brain telling us what to do right? So if key limes can conduct electricity that our body needs to function, wouldn't consuming them have some type of impact on our overall "energy" level. And I quote energy because one of my judges from Georgia Tech pointed out that when we use the term energy in relation to our body, people coorilate that term to feeling "energized". Not to say that people wouldn't feel energized but just because you consume something that is supposed to increase your energy level and you don't feel energized doesn't necessarily mean that you aren't being energized right? Or is it that the state of being "energized" when it comes to food some can have some type of placebo effect. I hope I'm making some type of sense and I'm not just rambling. Thank you in advance.
- Ciara Dean (age 15)
Riverdale
A:

Energy has a well defined meaning in physics and chemistry, and it is not especially connected to the subjective sense of "energy" that people sometimes. feel. People take in energy mainly in the form of chemical energy via food. The quantity of food energy is typically measured in units of kilocalories. Most of us take in too many of them.

Key lime pie is a very intense source of calories. That's unfortunate because it tastes so good,  

I don't think there's anything unusual about the ions in limes, as compared to the ions in many other foods.

Mike W.


(published on 12/29/2016)