CARBOHYDRATE SOURCES

A carbohydrate is an organic compound with the empirical formula Cm(H2O)n, that is, consists only of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, with it in a 1:2:1 atom ratio.

Carbohydrates can be viewed as hydrates of carbon, hence their name. Structurally however, it is more accurate to view them as polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones.

The term is most common in biochemistry, where it is a synonym of saccharide.

The carbohydrates (saccharides) are divided into 4 chemical groupings:

1.      Monosaccharides

2.      Disaccharides

3.      Oligosaccharides

4.      Polysaccharides

In general, the monosaccharides and disaccharides, which are smaller (lower molecular weight) carbohydrates, are commonly referred to as sugars.

The word saccharide comes from the Greek word σάκχαρον (sákkharon), meaning "sugar".

While the scientific nomenclature of carbohydrates is complex, the names of the monosaccharides and disaccharides very often end in the suffix -ose.

Example:

§  Blood sugar is the monosaccharide glucose

§  Table sugar is the disaccharide sucrose

§  Milk sugar is the disaccharide lactose

Carbohydrates perform numerous roles in living things. Polysaccharides serve for the storage of energy (e.g., starch and glycogen) and as structural components (e.g., cellulose in plants and chitin in arthropods).

The 5-carbon monosaccharide ribose is an important component of coenzymes (e.g., ATP, FAD, and NAD) and the backbone of the genetic molecule known as RNA. The related deoxyribose is a component of DNA.

Saccharides and their derivatives include many other important bio-molecules that play key roles in the immune system, fertilization, preventing pathogenesis, blood clotting, and development.

In food science and in many informal contexts, the term carbohydrate often means any food that is particularly rich in the complex carbohydrate starch (such as cereals, bread and pasta) or simple carbohydrates, such as sugar (found in candy, jams and desserts).

 NUTRITION

GRAIN PRODUCTS   : RICH SOURCES OF COMPLEX AND SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES

Foods high in simple carbohydrates include

§  Fruits

§  Sweets

§  Soft drinks

Foods high in complex carbohydrates include

§  Breads

§  Pastas

§  Beans

§  Potatoes

§  Bran

§  Rice

§  Cereals

The most common complex carbohydrate in these foods is starch.

Carbohydrates are the most common source of energy in living organisms. Proteins and fat are necessary building components for body tissue and cells, and are also a source of energy for most organisms.

Carbohydrates are not essential nutrients in humans: The body can obtain all its energy from protein and fats.

The brain and neurons generally cannot burn fat for energy, but can use glucose or ketones; the body can also synthesize some glucose from a few of the amino acids in protein and also from the glycerol backbone in triglycerides.

Carbohydrate contains 15.8 kilojoules (3.75 kilocalories) and proteins 16.8 kilojoules (4 kilocalories) per gram, while fats contain 37.8 kilojoules (9 kilocalories) per gram.

In the case of protein, this is somewhat misleading as only some amino acids are usable for fuel. Likewise, in humans, only some carbohydrates are usable for fuel, as in many monosaccharides and some disaccharides.

Other carbohydrate types can be used, but only with the assistance of gut bacteria. Ruminants and termites can even process cellulose, which is indigestible to humans.

Based on the effects on risk of heart disease and obesity, the Institute of Medicine recommends that American and Canadian adults get between 45–65% of dietary energy from carbohydrates.

The Food and Agriculture Organization and World Health Organization jointly recommend that national dietary guidelines set a goal of 55–75% of total energy from carbohydrates, but only 10% directly from sugars (their term for simple carbohydrates).

 HIGH CARBOHYDRATE FOODS

Looking on a high carbohydrate foods can better educate you on which carbs you should avoid and which carbs you can have.

Carbohydrates are an essential part of your diet regardless of what some fad diets want us to believe.

WHAT ARE CARBOHYDRATES

There is a difference between good carbs and bad carbs though some diets will have you believing they are all in the same and want you to avoid them like the plague. Diets that utilize just protein are very one sided. Carbohydrates fuel our bodies so that we can keep going.

All carbohydrates are turned in to glucose in our bodies. The difference between good and bad carbs is how they are turned in to glucose. Good carbs are processed slowly but the bad ones more rapidly.

THE HIGH CARBOHYDRATE FOOD LIST

Bad carbohydrates or high carbohydrates are foods that we typically want to avoid. These carbohydrates turn in to glucose just like good carbohydrates but do so in a way that makes them not so good for us.

Unlike the good carbs these are processed rather quickly by our bodies and are turned in to glucose at such a radical rate that the body does not have any place to store it. The energy we feel is fast and lasts for a very short period of time. The rest is placed in to fat cells. This means that the more bad carbs we eat the more the sugar is stored in fat so we get heavier.

Many people find that healthy cooking at home is far too time consuming or simply just a burden. This means that many of us like to get our food right now and so our business is given to fast food joints that only care about the bottom line and not what they are actually serving us.

But in order to remain healthy or to improve our health we should try to avoid fast foods, greasy foods and foods that are found on the following high carbohydrate food list:

§  Uncooked barley

§  Bagels (regular ones)

§  Sugar

§  Honey

§  Dried apricots

§  Whole wheat flour

§  Dried dates

§  White bread

§  Waffles

§  Graham crackers

§  White rice

§  Spaghettis and other pasta made with white flour

§  Raisins

§  Muffins

§  Ice cream

§  Baked beans

§  Gumdrops

§  Corn starch

§  Nestle Quik

§  Kellogg’s Corn Flakes

§  General Mills cereals

This is just an example and there are a lot more found on line and through common sense you should be able to begin to pick out the carbs that are bad for you. It is all about the choice we make and it is easy to say no to the foods on this list.

For every bad food in this list there are great alternatives that are low in carbohydrates. Just because you are watching what you eat does not mean you have to eat poor tasting food.  

HIGH CARBOHYDRATE FOODS REALLY THAT BAD?

Many of us eat foods from the high carbohydrate food list. Not all of us gain weight from eating them. Are these foods really that bad? No. Moderation is the key to have foods from this bad list.

Eating 4 cups of mashed potatoes is very, very bad but eating a half cup – a normal serving size – is not all that bad. Just like eating one square from a chocolate bar is not that bad but eating an entire bar can be.

Athletes will often do something called “carb loading”. This is a special circumstance. People who are very active and play professional sports with a high exertion rate will eat food very high in carbohydrates because their bodies burn it at an express rate and they need to maintain the energy level in order to compete.