glucose molecules
How does the food you eat provide energy? When you need a quick boost of energy, you might reach for an apple or a candy bar. But cells do not "eat" apples or candy bars; these foods need to be broken down so that cells can use them. Through the process of cellular respiration , the energy in food is changed into energy that can be used by the body's cells. Initially, the sugars in the food you eat are digested into the simple sugar glucose , a monosaccharide . Recall that glucose is the sugar produced by the plant during photosynthesis. The glucose, or the polysaccharide made from many glucose molecules, such as starch , is then passed to the organism that eats the plant. This organism could be you, or it could be the organism that you eat. Either way, it is the glucose molecules that holds the energy.