Carbohydrates

Just like Fats, Carbohydrates ("Glossary") get a bad rap. And just like Fats, there are good Carbs and bad ones (but the bad carbs always taste so good... am I right!??!!)

Carbs have one main function in the body... Providing you with energy. But there are Carbohydrates that can do more for your body than just providing energy...

There are three types of Carbs

1) Monosaccharides

2) Disaccharides

3) Polysaccharides

Monosaccharides and Disaccharides

These are the simplest form of carbohydrates and the ones that give carbohydrates a bad name (and rightfully so). Disaccharides are two monosaccharides put together (e.g. Sucrose or Lactose) (both in the "Glossary") and held by a single bond. Because that bond is easily broken in your digestive system, your body can digest disaccharides very quickly. The scientific term for this simple form that exists in your body is Glucose ("Glossary"). Glucose (a monosaccharide) circulates in your blood stream to provide energy to your brain (that is, your brain ONLY uses glucose to make energy). You have probably heard of blood glucose by its other name "blood sugar". All sugar molecules are carbohydrates at their simplest form. Even the sugar found in fruits (called Fructose ("Glossary")) is a monosaccharide.

These simple sugars (carbs) give carbohydrates a bad rap because of what they can do to your blood sugar level. If you eat (or drink) too much sugar...

Then your blood sugar levels will spike. Insulin will be released. And all of those simple carbohydrates will be sent to your liver to be converted into FAT and stored as FAT in your body.

This process has been described as the "Sugar Roller-coaster"...

Short Video on what Sugar does in your brain:

So yes, the simplest form of carbohydrates... Mono and Disaccharides... Should give Carbs a bad rap. But that is only if you eat (or DRINK) sugar in large quantities. Your brain NEEDS glucose to function. So there are better ways to get your body Glucose than a monosaccharide.

Another short video on what sugar (in soda... but other drinks as well) will do to your teeth:

Just one more video, I could not resist. This video provides great facts about sugar in a fairly entertaining package:

POLYSACCHARIDES

Now Polysaccharides (numerous monosaccharids linked in long chains), on the other hand, can be a much healthier option. The key word is CAN. Because if you eat an abundance of anything, it CAN be unhealthy for you. Polysaccharides are more commonly labelled as Complex Carbohydrates.

There are two types of Polysaccharides: Starches and Fibers

STARCHES

These are what your body and especially your brain SHOULD be using for energy. For a nice reference on what starches can do for your body (especially compared to sugar) go to this webpage... Click Here for starch website

When eating starches, one should always try to go for products that have WHOLE grains in them. Items that have enriched or fortified or refined parts are not healthy to eat beyond small amounts (such as white bread... yes I know that hurts). For a short read on these types of products, go to this webpage... Click Here for website on impostor foods :)

Now foods that have WHOLE GRAINS... that is a different story. Breads, pastas or any other types of complex carbohydrates contain large amounts of starches that can be digested over a period of time, slowly raising your blood sugar, which does not allow for a release of insulin. Because your body may not use that blood sugar right away, the glucose is sent to your liver and converted into GLYCOGEN ("Glossary") and can be stored in either your liver or your muscle tissue as glycogen. This stored glycogen can then easily be converted to glucose to keep your blood sugar levels normal if your body starts to run low on blood glucose.

Now if your blood is low on carbs (such as you don't eat enough complex carbohydrates), your body will turn to fat cells (which might sound nice to help lose fat weight... but it doesn't lose any significant amount of fat off of the body to do this). In this case, fat is sent to the blood stream, then to the liver to be converted into glucose to help raise your blood sugar. But this process takes a long time to accomplish and it is slow to do so (relatively speaking). So if you need a lot of energy for your brain (such as with taking an EXAM!) while you are low on blood sugar and have to turn to fat (instead of using stored glycogen), then your brain not function well during the exam (with memory recall).

FIBER

I had mentioned in the "Fat" section that if a dietitian can rank the worst foods, then hydrogenated fats would be at the top of the list.

Well if Dietitians can rank the best, then foods with higher Fiber would be at the top of the list. Fiber does your body a wealth of good... beyond a wealth of good... it provides numerous benefits.

Dietary fiber consists of PLANT substances that are difficult or impossible to digest

This Mayo clinic website provides a large amount of information on the types of fiber and the benefits... Click Here for Fiber information

WebMD provides a nice website for information as well... Click Here for WebMD fiber website

One of the major benefits of fiber is that it allows you to go to the bathroom and do the #2 a good bit easier. So much so, that you would really not need to figure out if you need to address this question: Should you sit, squat or lean