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Carbohydrate Report
Carbohydrate Report
Carbohydrates are one of the four major macronutrients which provide energy to the human body. 45 to 60 percent of your diet should consist of carbohydrates.
Types of carbohydrates
simple, or monosaccharide
complex, or polysaccharides
simple, or monosaccharide
simple carbohydrates are more easily digested by the body
The body breaks down simple carbs to be used for energy, which is used up very quickly. Found in fruits and dairy products Examples: white sugar, pastas, and white bread.
complex, or polysaccharides
take longer for the body to digest
Found in vegetables (cellulose), whole grain breads and pasta, brown rice, and legumes. Foods with unrefined grains, such as brown rice, retain complex carbs, unlike refined grains, such as white rice.
Forms of Carbohydrates
Starches
Sugars
Dietary Fiber
Starch
it consists of multiple carbon rings, or monosaccharides, bonded together in a strand known as a polysaccharide.
Food sources of starch include whole grains, breads, cereals, pasta and rice. Starches take longer to digest than simple sugars, but they still provide the body with energy like any other form of carbohydrate. An excellent source of energy for those athletes who are carbohydrate loading before endurance events such as marathons or bike races.
Sugars
often referred to as simple sugars because, on a molecular level, sugars consist of only one or two carbon rings.
Sugars digest fairly rapidly and absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. They provide the body with a quick source of fuel and are often consumed by athletes during endurance events. Sources of simple sugars include fruits, milk, yogurt and sports drinks.
Dietary Fiber
this type of carbohydrate does not get absorbed.
most fiber passes through the small and large intestines and is excreted in the form of feces.
The two types of fiber, insoluble and soluble, can be found in whole grains, fruits and vegetables.
The soluble fiber found in oats is beneficial because it has been shown to lower blood cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
Functions of Carbohydrates
As a source of energy
Protein-sparing action
As a source of energy
The main function of carbohydrate is to supply energy for the body processes.
A greater part of the energy in the diet (more than 5080%) is supplied by carbohydrates. Some of the carbohydrates are immediately utilized by the tissues and the remaining is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles some are stored as adipose tissues for future energy needs.
Protein-sparing action
Carbohydrates are mainly utilized by the body of fulfilling the major part of the energy needs.
sparing protein for tissue building and repairing. The first physiological demand of the body is the need for energy, which must be satisfied before the nutrients are used for other functions. this function of carbohydrates to spare protein for its primary purpose of body building and repair of tissues is an important one.
The common expression that 'fat burns in the fire of carbohydrates' is used to emphasize that in absence of carbohydrates, fats cannot be oxidised by the body to yield energy.
Recent studies have shown that oxalacetic acid, a breakdown product of carbohydrate is essential for the oxidation of acetate, which is the breakdown product of fats. In the absence of oxaloacetic acid acetate is converted into ketone bodies, which gets accumulated in the body and the person suffers from 'Ketosis
Sub-acid fruits
acid fruits melons
References:
http://www.preservearticles.com/201105146671/5-mostessential-functions-of-carbohydrates.html
http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/carbohydrates/sources-ofcarbohydrates.html Effects of Too Little Carbohydrates | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_4794576_effects-littlecarbohydrates.html#ixzz2Iv9RyFkf http://www.buzzle.com/articles/symptoms-of-carbohydratedeficiency.html