Carbohydrates - Simple and Complex Carbohydrates
Proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals-trace elements and water are classified as nutrients. Carbohydrates are the human body’s main source of energy, providing 4cal/g. It is the primary fuel source for cells such as those in the nervous system and red blood cells. Muscles depend on a continuous supply of carbohydrates to support physical activity and to help maintain tissue protein levels.
IIt is also critical for the metabolism of fat.
Carbohydrates are simple organic compounds that are aldehydes or ketones with many hydroxyl groups added. Both complex and/or simple are not essential nutrients since the body can obtain all its energy from protein and fats. Most forms of carbohydrates are composed of Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen. Digestion of carbohydrates begins in the mouth and finally absorbed into the bloodstream through specialized cells in the small intestinal wall in the form of glucose. Glucose has the chemical formula is C6H12O6.
When carbohydrates are broken down by the body, parts of are converted into fuel for every cell in the form of blood sugar “glucose.” Glucose is, for sort periods, stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. When levels of glycogen stores are exhausted if no carbohydrates are consumed the body is forced to produce its own from body and food proteins. This kind of solution however, if persists for a long periods, it leads into health problems.
The major carbohydrates are sugars and starches. Common starch foods include bread and cereals, potatoes, pasta, corn, beans, rice and peas. The naturally occurring sugars are abundant in fruits, many vegetables; sugar cane, maple sugar, palm sugar, honey and milk products. Those foods that contain naturally occurring starches and sugars are referred as complex carbohydrates. Our bodies must break them down into a simpler form in order to obtain its primary fuel, carbohydrate, glucose. We obtain approximately 50% of our energy from the consumption of carbohydrates
Some of this glucose obtain is used directly to fuel our brain cells, red blood cells and nerve system, while the rest finds its way and stored in the liver and muscles as glycogen. From here glugogen will be converted back to glucose when the needs of the body for energy are increases. Any excess glucose is stored in fat cells as fat.
In contrast to sugars obtained from complex carbohydrates the refined sugars commonly added to processed foods, require little digestion are readily absorbed by the body, and can trigger an unhealthy chain of events. They make no real contribution to the body’s health and they lack the vitamins, minerals, fiber and other substances found naturally in the complex carbohydrates.
To utilize carbohydrates for energy, your body converts them to glucose. In the typical western diet, 40 to 50 percent of the total calories come from carbohydrates. Even worse, half of the carbohydrate calories consumed by the typical westerner come from processed foods filled with simple sugars.
New scientific research and opinion on traditional views on the differences between any “simple” and “complex” carbohydrates - simple carbohydrates can raised blood sugar levels quickly, while complex carbohydrates caused slower rise in blood sugar- shows no fixed difference between simple and complex carbs. Some of the simple sugars can cause a slow rise in blood sugar levels while some complex carbohydrates can cause a quick rise.
This knowledge is vital for better understanding of the role of both complex and simple carbohydrates. Dietary guidelines generally recommend plenty of complex carbohydrates and nutrient-rich simple carbohydrates such as fruit and dairy products to make up the bulk of our daily food consumption. However, carbohydrate consumption should be always balanced with quality protein and fats including those providing essential fatty acids .
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