How Many Calories Would be in an Oak Tree?

Unlike other nuts, oak nuts are not infamous for their edibility. So, to list them as your survival or nutritious foods, you might hesitate a bit. Even if you want to, you may step back as you do not know how many calories would be in an oak tree. 

In general, an oak tree contains more than 3500 calories per single kg of its wood. And it varies based on the fruit production and weight of the tree. For your convenience, I will describe the different calorie counts right here!

How Many Calories Would Be There in an Oak Tree?

Different parts of trees store or produce different amounts of heat energy or calories, and the oak tree is no exception. It has 14.9MJ or 3558 kcalories per kg of wood. So, if your tree weighs 10 tonnes or 10,000 kg, it has approximately 149000MJ or 35588038 kcalories.

In terms of acorns, the calorie count is different. A gram of acorn contains 3.9 calories. In general, a healthy oak tree produces 10000 acorns and each weighs 2 grams. So, the oak fruits have 78000 calories.

The species requires approximately 4500 calories. And it stores more than 200 calories as biomass.

Are Oak Trees Safe to Eat for Calorie Intake?

The cambium layer of the oak tree is edible. But for that, you need to remove the gray and green layers from the bark. And peel off the cream-colored barks. They are a good source of 400 to 500 calories per pound.

Oak fruits or acorns have a layer of tannins, which is a bitter substance. And this is an anti-nutrient for the human body. So, if you want to get 200 to 300 calories from them, you will need to remove the tannins and consume a few nuts only. 

As the fats are stored in terms of healthy unsaturated fats in the oak nuts or acorns, the calorie count is low in them. But if you eat 28 grams of acorns, they can provide 144 calories. 

However, avoid red oaks, as they contain more tannins. Here is how to identify red species:

How to Consume Oak Tree Fruits to Get Calories?

In survival situations, you may consider eating acorns to store energy. Even if you are not in the wild, you can consume them as they have health benefits.

But you need to prepare the parts to avoid health hazards. So, to get calories in an effective way, follow the methods before eating them:

1. Remove Acorn Tannins

Avoid eating raw acorns with tannins. Or else you will not be able to digest any food due to high doses of tannins. To avoid the hassle, soak some acorns in clean water. Wait until the water turns brown.

Once the water is brown, rub the acorns and throw the water out. Soak the fruits in water and repeat the process until the water no longer turns dark or brownish. Then, chew the fruits or boil them and eat them. Here are some tips to remember:

2. Acorn Flour

After removing the tannins, dry them for a few days in the sunlight. Then, roast the nuts in a pan or oven. Once they turn dark brown, let them cool at room temperature. Peel off or break their shells.

Place the fruits in a grinder or grind them with a mortar and pestle. Now you can use the thin powder in the coffee. Or make cookies from the accorn flour.

Conclusion

Once you find out how many calories would be in an oak tree, it will be easy to outline your calorie intake with these plants. The barks might taste a bit bitter if you do not boil them before consuming!

And some bark strips taste sweet. The calorie you get comes from their stored starches, sugar, and fat. If you are allergic to nuts, I’d recommend you avoid eating acorns because they can cause irritation to your skin. 

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