Dorothy FarrarCarbohydrates
Carbohydrates are molecules that are created as products of plant photosynthesis and are the optimal source of energy for the human body. Carbohydrates are metabolized during digestion and released into the energy that humans need for all vital processes and activities.
What are carbohydrates?
There are basically three types of carbohydrates.
Monosaccharide
Monosaccharides are single sugar molecules (simple sugars). This includes fructose, contained in fruits, vegetables and honey, as well as glucose (also known as dextrose or grape sugar).
Galactose is also a simple sugar, which is generally found in connection with glucose and thus forms the milk sugar (lactose) contained in milk.
Disaccharide
Disaccharides are disaccharide molecules. These include sucrose from sugar cane and sugar beet, maltose from grain and lactose.
Polysaccharide
Polysaccharides consist of many molecules and are complex carbohydrates made up of 1000 or more sugars (polysaccharides). These include starch, dextrin and glycogen. Starch is the most important polysaccharide in the diet and is found in grains, potatoes and beetroot.
Carbohydrates as a source of energy
Carbohydrates are converted in a series of complex chemical processes in the human body, broken down into their molecules and used as a vital source of energy. Carbohydrates are easily metabolized and are therefore very economical sources of energy.
The storage form of carbohydrates in the body is glycogen, which is stored in the liver and in the muscles of the skeleton. Endurance training can increase glycogen storage . The larger the glycogen store, the higher the endurance performance . However, carbohydrates can only be stored as glycogen to a limited extent. A large part is converted into fat .
The fewer sugar molecules a carbohydrate has, the faster it is digested, since a carbohydrate is broken down into its components during digestion and can ultimately be absorbed into the bloodstream as small molecules. The larger the sugar molecules, the longer it takes to be absorbed into the blood.
Meaning
Carbohydrates play an important role in health . The carbohydrate glycogen helps the liver protect the body against toxins and control the breakdown of proteins . Although proteins can also be used as an energy source, they are much more valuable for cell growth and cell renewal.
If the body consumes enough carbohydrates, correspondingly fewer proteins have to be broken down. By preventing protein breakdown, carbohydrates also protect the body from excessive nitrogenous waste that is a by-product of protein breakdown.
The breakdown of fat also leads to a larger amount of metabolic waste products being produced. These can lead to vomiting, headaches , fatigue, as well as other symptoms associated with a low-carb diet. Ultimately, good carbohydrates strengthen and promote the immune system and the human organism with the appropriate healthy diet .
However, so-called bad carbohydrates can put a heavy strain on your health. They have the property of increasing blood sugar relatively quickly, putting a strain on the metabolism and promoting civilization diseases such as gout, rheumatism , cancer , cardiovascular diseases and heart attacks .
Carbohydrates in sports
Carbohydrates are extremely important in sports. If the storage of carbohydrates is exhausted, there is an enormous drop in performance. Especially after prolonged training, the emptied glycogen stores must be replenished quickly. Therefore, the diet after training or after the competition should be rich in carbohydrates. In the case of prolonged endurance exertion, a light intake of carbohydrates should already take place during this time.
During short-term athletic performance, the energy from carbohydrates is only provided from about 8 seconds. Initially anaerobic, without oxygen, and subsequently aerobic, with the consumption of oxygen. The body burns around 200 grams of carbohydrates during exercise for around 30 minutes.
The intake of carbohydrates is always coupled with the interaction of different foods. Since carbohydrates can only be stored in the muscles with potassium, athletes, especially endurance athletes, should consume carbohydrates with potassium-rich quark, fruit and vegetables.
In order to store carbohydrates in the muscles, sufficient liquids such as water, fruit juice spritzers, or various other sports drinks are also required. Chromium (nuts, whole grains, mushrooms) can improve muscle absorption of carbohydrates, as can protein found in eggs, milk, yogurt, or cheese.
Carbohydrates in food
Many people associate certain foods with carbohydrates, such as bread, rice, potatoes or spaghetti.
The proportion of carbohydrates varies in different foods. This also applies to fruit, vegetables and dairy products.
About 55 percent of the daily calorie requirement of a healthy diet should consist of carbohydrates.
Not all carbohydrates are a wonderful source of energy and contain essential nutrients. Others, on the other hand, are simply a sweet waste of calories that are even harmful to your health.
Basically, good and bad carbohydrates can be distinguished.
“Bad Carbs”
Bad carbohydrates are in particular grain products made from white flour such as white bread, popcorn, puffed rice or fast food. At the same time, bad carbohydrates include high-sugar and sweetened snack bars, chocolate, biscuits, nougat creams or sweet drinks, as well as French fries, crisps or fried potatoes. Too many saturated fatty acids, which are found in fatty meat, fatty cheese and sausage, also cause large amounts of fat to be stored.
“Good Carbs”
Good carbohydrates are especially found in fruits and vegetables high in vitamin C and carotene , found in citrus fruits, melons, peaches, carrots, beets, broccoli, spinach, etc. Fresh corn, crushed corn, corn flour, but also dried peas and beans are healthy. Bread, especially whole grain bread, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta are good carbs.
Hello and welcome to my Health Guide & Encyclopedia! My name is Dorothy Farrar, and I'm the founder and main author of this platform.
My passion for health and wellness started at a young age when I became interested in the connection between the food we eat and the way we feel. This fascination led me to study nutrition and dietetics in college, where I learned about the importance of a balanced diet and the impact of various nutrients on the body.