Summary
Eating healthy carbohydrates is not always an easy task. Carbohydrates come in three major varieties: sugars, starches, and fibers. Sugars occur naturally in many foods; they are also added to food as "empty calories". Starches are found in vegetables such as potatoes and grains. Fibers are a variant of starches that the body cannot readily digest, and which generally pass through the system.
Original source:
http://www.billingsgazette.com/index.php?id=1&display=rednews/2005/03/16/build/health/30-nutri-news.inc
Details
- The covers of news magazines were plastered with phrases like "Low-carb Nation" (Time Magazine, May 2004).
- This does not mean carbohydrates are no longer important for a healthy lifestyle or that high-carb foods are your best bet for weight management.
- Choosing wisely would be simpler if there really were such things as bad carbs and good carbs.
- Let's start with the basics: Carbohydrates from produce, grains and milk products are important for a healthy diet.
- Sugars and starches supply energy in the form of glucose, the primary energy source for the brain, central nervous system and red blood cells.
- The word "carbohydrates" does tell what compounds in this group have in common: They are made of carbon (carbo-) combined with water (-hydrates).
- Carbohydrates are usually broken down into three categories: Sugars (or saccharides); starches (also know as polysaccharides); and fibers (polysaccharides that are not digestible).
- Sugars can be one sugar unit (mono-saccharides) such as glucose, fructose and galactose; and they can be two sugar units linked together (di-saccharides) such as sucrose, lactose and maltose.
- Sugars can be further divided into naturally-occurring sugars (also called intrinsic sugars) and added (or extrinsic) sugars.
- Naturally-occurring sugars include those in fruits and vegetables (fructose and others) and in dairy products (lactose).
- Most starch is broken down by enzymes into glucose molecules for absorption in the small intestine.
- Grains can be further divided into whole grains and refined grains, where the outer layer and bran are removed.
- Refined grains contain starches but are generally not good sources of fiber.
- Refined grain products are usually enriched with vitamins and minerals, some of which were removed during the refining process.
- Legumes: Mostly starch and fiber with some sugars, as well vitamins, minerals and protein.
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