Carbohydrate in Food

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Carbohydrates   What are carbohydrates?   All carbohydrates are made up from sugars. There are a number of different types of sugars but in the body all carbohydrate metabolism converts sugar to glucose, our body's preferred energy source. Glucose is the main sugar present in many foods but some contain different sugars, such as fructose in fruit, lactose in milk, galactose as well as others. Most sugars are digested and absorbed and converted to glucose, some cannot be digested, we call this fiber.   What are complex carbohydrates?   Complex carbohydrates or starch are simply sugars bonded together to form a chain. Digestive enzymes have to work much harder to access the bonds to break the chain into individual sugars for absorption through the intestines.   For this reason digestion of complex carbohydrates takes longer. The slow absorption of sugars provides us with a steady supply of energy and limits the amount of sugar converted into fat and stored!   Complex Carb foods.           What are simple carbohydrates?   Simple carbohydrates are smaller molecules of sugar unlike the long chains in starch. For example the individual sugars themselves - glucose, fructose and galactose ( monosaccharides ), or two sugars bonded together ( disaccharides ).   They are digested quickly because the individual sugars are ready to be absorbed immediately plus digestive enzymes have easy access to the bonds in the paired molecules. You could say most of the work has been done!   Their rapid absorption increases the chances of sugar converting to fat but only if there is an abundance of energy absorbed. Foods like cake, pastry, biscuits, chocolate and too much table sugar to name a few contain lots of "empty" calories. Because our cells usually do not require that amount of energy at that time, the sugar must either be converted to glycogen ( sugar storage within cells ) or converted to fat. The cell can only store a limited amount of glycogen so in many cases simple carbohydrate loaded foods may contribute to body fat stores. This rule can change if the glycogen levels are low such as after anaerobic exercise!   Other natural foods like fruit contain naturally occurring simple sugars, however because the amount of energy is low there's less chance for sugar to be converted to fat. Plus many fruits are high in fiber which helps slow digestion again limiting the flood of sugar energy into cells when its not needed!   Simple carb foods     Why are carbohydrates important?   Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of fuel. The energy can be released quickly and easily to fulfill immediate requirement within cells. Carbohydrates do not require oxygen to burn therefore they fuel most muscular contractions, meaning our carbohydrate intake is very important for regular exercise sessions. If carbohydrate stores are low exercise will seem like a real effort!   Daily intake of carbohydrates.           Weight loss progress often slows due to a lowered metabolism. Increase metabolism before cutting calories and very low calorie diets wont be necessary

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Further reading on food & nutrition to help lose weight Controlling food intake is an important factor for losing weight Hunger drives the desire to eat food, control hunger effectively Here is a useful food calories list of calorie content of food Basic nutrition help for increased energy to lose weight Learn how to combine different protein sources to produce high quality protein intake Daily Fat intake of saturated fats polyunsaturated fats lose weight List of foods low in calories Carbohydrate intake each day Lists of food high in simple carbohydrates Lists of food high in complex carbs Can carbohydrate make us fat? Nutrition  Facts on different fast  foods Components that make up the balanced diet Foods with the best protein content Alcohol  and losing weight Foods help lose weight effectively List of foods with negative calories Benefits of eating fruit to lose weight Benefits of eating vegetables & losing weight Healthy lowfat recipes to help form healthy diet Potato chips List of recipes low in calories Low Calorie Soup recipes grams ounces weight conversion Best foods for losing weight Questions on food & dieting   NUTRIENTS IN FOODS Nutrition List of food sources rich in iron List of potassium rich food sources Benefits of drinking water for weight loss & energy levels Effects of high sodium intake on body weight Low calorie desserts for the occasional treat Amounts of fat in different Fish Fat content in Chicken sources Fat in common mcdonalds foods Fat content of beef Carbohydrates simple & complex Carbohydrates in alcoholic drinks Carbohydrates in different Fruit Carbohydrates in different Vegetables Carbohydrates in banana Carbohydrates in Wine Carbohydrates in different beer Protein in different Meals High protein content Protein combinations Protein in different Vegetables Protein in Rice Protein Peas Protein in Meat Protein different Fish Protein Steak Protein in Chicken Protein in Tuna Protein Nuts Protein in Eggs Protein in Milk Protein in Cheese Protein in Bread Protein Pasta Protein Tofu Protein Intake   More weight loss articles List topics to lose weight All tools and information on this site are intended as an aid to help healthy adults lose weight and not intended as medical advice. The information presented here is not for pregnant or breast-feeding women or for any person under the age of 18. If you suffer or think you may suffer from any medical condition you should consult your doctor before starting any weight loss exercise regime. Any weight loss exercise programs or diet should be started slowly and we advise you to always consult your doctor or physician beforehand.

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