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There have been extensive compilations of information on carbohydrates elsewhere, I want to focus on the day-to-day aspect that a consumer might encounter. I myself partake of a variety of sources of carbohydrate each day, both soluble and insoluble.
Like every living organism, small molecule building blocks are organized into larger structures to constitute a functioning system. The building blocks of carbohydrates are monosaccharides. When these combine, disaccharides such as sucrose are formed.
When really long chains of monosaccharides get together, they are called complex carbohydrates: starch and dietary fiber. Starch is a storage form of energy in plants and animals, which can be broken down in metabolism. Dietary fiber can be divided into soluble fiber (oatmeal, oat bran, nuts, seeds) or insoluble fiber (whole wheat, barley, brown rice, couscous, bulgur wheat, wheat bran, seeds, fruits, vegetables).
For a healthy diet, limit the amount of added sugar that you eat and choose whole grains over refined grains.
Under anaerobic stress however, freely available carbohydrates are essential. A comparison of the carbohydrate load provided by a variety of performance beverages is shown below, which was prepared for my blog about coconut water. I wondered if the hype about coconut water as a recovery drink was scientifically sound and how much sugar (and which types of sugar) were contained in a single serving.
Works Cited:
"Transforming Glycoscience: A Roadmap for the Future." 2012, The National Academy of Sciences, requested by the NIH, NSF, DOE, FDA, HHMI.
van Halbeek, H. "Carbohydrates and Glycoconjugates" Encyclopedia of NMR.
http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/carbs.html
Yong, J. W. H.; Ge, L.; and Tan, S. N. Molecules 2009, 14, 5144-5164.
Davis, J. M.; Lamb, D. R.; Pate, R. R.; Slentz, C. A.; Burgess, W. A.; Bartoli, W. P. Am. J. Clin. Nutr. 1988, 48, 1023-1030.
Bogdanov, S.; Jurendic, T.; Sieber, R.; Gallmann, P. J. Am. Coll. Nutr. 2008, 27, 677-689.
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