Sarah M's List: Carbohydrates

• They provide the body with fuel it needs for physical activity and for proper organ function
• Choose the best sources of carbohydrates—whole grains (the less processed, the better), vegetables, fruits and beans—since they promote good health by delivering vitamins, minerals, fiber, and a host of important phytonutrients
• Skip the easily digested refined carbohydrates from refined grains—white bread, white rice
• 1. Start the day with whole grains. 
• 2. Use whole grain breads for lunch or snacks.
• 3. Bag the potatoes. Instead, try brown rice, bulgur, wheat berries, whole wheat pasta, or another whole grain with your dinner
• 4. Choose whole fruit instead of juice.An orange has two times as much fiber and half as much sugar as a 12-ounce glass of orange juice
• 5. Bring on the beans. Beans are an excellent source of slowly digested carbohydrates as well as a great source of protein.

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• Carbohydrates are found in a wide array of foods—bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, soft drinks, corn, and cherry pie.
• The most common and abundant forms are sugars, fibers, and starches.
• The basic building block of every carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen
• Simple carbohydrates included sugars such as fruit sugar (fructose), corn or grape sugar (dextrose or glucose), and table sugar (sucrose)
• Complex carbohydrates included everything made of three or more linked sugars.
• The digestive system handles all carbohydrates in much the same way—it breaks them down (or tries to break them down) into single sugar molecules, since only these are small enough to cross into the bloodstream.
• Fiber comes in two varieties: soluble fiber dissolves in water, while insoluble fiber does not.
• Soluble fiber binds to fatty substances in the intestines and carries them out as a waste, thus lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or bad cholesterol).
• Insoluble fiber helps push food through the intestinal tract
• For optimal health, get your grains intact from foods such as whole wheat bread, brown rice, whole grain pasta, and other possibly unfamiliar grains like quinoa, whole oats, and bulgur
• help protect you against a range of chronic diseases

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• When you eat carbs, your body breaks them down into simple sugars, which are absorbed into the bloodstream
• sugar level rises in your body, the pancreas releases a hormone called insulin
• Insulin is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as a source of energy.
• process goes fast — as with simple sugars — you're more likely to feel hungry again soon
• occurs more slowly, as with a whole-grain food, you'll be satisfied longer
• complex carbohydrates give you energy over a longer period of time
• carbs in some foods (mostly those that contain a lot of simple sugars) cause the blood sugar level to rise more quickly than others.
• Scientists have been studying whether eating foods that cause big jumps in blood sugar may be related to health problems like diabetes and heart disease.

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• Alternative Names

  Starches; Simple sugars; Sugars; Complex carbohydrates; Diet - carbohydrates; Simple carbohydrates
• primary function of carbohydrates is to provide energy for the body, especially the brain and the nervous system
• amylase helps break down carbohydrates into glucose (blood sugar), which is used for energy by the body.

• Examples of single sugars from foods include:

   
   
  • Fructose (found in fruits)
   
  • Galactose (found in milk products)

• Double sugars include:

   
   
  • Lactose (found in dairy)
   
  • Maltose (found in certain vegetables and in beer)
   
  • Sucrose (table sugar)

• Complex carbohydrates, often referred to as "starchy" foods, include:

   
   
  • Legumes
   
  • Starchy vegetables
   
  • Whole-grain breads and cereals

• Simple carbohydrates that contain vitamins and minerals occur naturally in:

   
   
  • Fruits
   
  • Milk and milk products
   
  • Vegetables

• Simple carbohydrates are also found in processed and refined sugars such as:

   
   
  • Candy
   
  • Regular (nondiet) carbonated beverages, such as soda
   
  • Syrups
   
  • Table sugar
• Refined sugars provide calories, but lack vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
• Getting too many carbohydrates can lead to an increase in total calories, causing obesity.
• Not getting enough carbohydrates can cause a lack of calories (malnutrition), or excessive intake of fats to make up the calories.
• Most people should get between 40% and 60% of total calories from carbohydrates, preferably from complex carbohydrates (starches) and natural sugars.
• Foods that are high in processed, refined simple sugars provide calories, but very little nutrition

• To increase complex carbohydrates and healthy nutrients:

   
   
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables.
   
  • Eat more whole-grain rice, breads, and cereals.
   
  • Eat more legumes (beans, lentils, and dried peas).

• Here are recommended serving sizes for foods high in carbohydrates:

   
   
  • Vegetables: 1 cup of raw vegetables, or 1/2 cup cooked vegetables, or 3/4 cup of vegetable juice
   
  • Fruits: 1 medium-size fruit (such as 1 medium apple or 1 medium orange), 1/2 cup of a canned or chopped fruit, or 3/4 cup of fruit juice
   
  • Breads and cereals: 1 slice of bread; 1 ounce or 2/3 cup of ready-to-eat cereal; 1/2 cup of cooked rice, pasta, or cereal; 1/2 cup of cooked dry beans, lentils, or dried peas
   
  • Dairy: 1 cup of skim or low-fat milk
• • This is a good sample menu that would be easy to duplicate in you own diet.

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• Good sources of fibre can be found mainly in two food groups: grain products, including whole grains such as wild and brown rice and oatmeal, and vegetables and fruit
• That means fibre adds zero calories – a bonus if you're trying to manage your weight
• Fibre is a carbohydrate found in plants
• S

  oluble fibre is a soft fibre that may help lower blood cholesterol and control blood sugar levels
• Insoluble fibre, or roughage, is bulky. It helps you feel fuller and promotes bowel regularity
• Most products made with white flour are deemed to be refined such as doughnuts, cookies, crackers, white bread, rolls and pasta
• Refined foods have had much of the fibre removed
• They can help prevent overeating
• Complex carbohydrates break down slowly, helping you sustain that full feeling
• Complex carbs are found in vegetables, fruit, whole grains such as 100% whole grain bread and brown rice, nuts, soy products and legumes such as dried beans and peas.
• Simple carbohydrates include most commercial bakery products, sugary soft drinks, sugary cereals, white bread and white rice
• break down quickly in the body, leaving you hungry sooner
• contain trans fats

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