Carbs have become a very controversial topic these days, where one side of the panel especially the paleo and ketogenic advocates say that don't eat carbs because our ancestors didn't eat it, and on the other side, experts are suggesting that there is nothing wrong with carbs, just go ahead.
Well, I'll try and answer this question for you towards the end of this blog when we will discuss glycemic index, but first, let's begin with the definition of carbohydrates, the function that carbohydrates play in our bodies, classification and food carb food sources and finally what do we mean by glycemic index.
So what are carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are sugars that break down into glucose.
They include sugars, starches, glycogen and cellulose.
Since the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen atoms in carbohydrates is usually the same as water that's the reason they are called carbo+hydrates as in watered carbons.
Functions of carbohydrates:
Provide calories per gram, they have a protein sparing effect.
As you would have read in the previous blog about protein that proteins are the main building blocks of a human body and when you eat enough carbs, then instead of protein carbs are used for energy, sparing the protein to do its essential job that is to build muscle tissues and manufacture hormones.
And lastly, eating carbohydrates adds fibre to our diet.
Carbs are classified into three types:
Monosaccharides are simple units of carbohydrates and the simplest form of sugar.
Some common examples are glucose (also the main blood sugar), fructose (found in fruits), galactose (found in milk), and then there is deoxyribose and ribose found in our genetics structures like DNA AND RNA.
When you combine two molecules of monosaccharides, you get disaccharides.
You get sucrose when you combine glucose and fructose, you get lactose when you combine glucose and galactose and maltose are made when two molecules of glucose are combined.
Polysaccharides are large molecules often combining 10 s thousands of monosaccharides.
starch (found in plants), glycogen (stored in muscle and liver), and cellulose that is the fibre are examples of polysaccharides.
Simple sugars are found in fruits, honey, sweets, honey, candies, white bread, white rice and soft drinks, and complex carbs are basically all the starchy plant-based foods like beans, lentils, potatoes, brown rice, whole wheat etc.
The glycemic index.
This is one of the most important concepts in nutrition so please listen carefully.
The glycemic index is a relative ranking of carbohydrates in foods according to how they affect blood glucose levels.
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