Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates

• Glucose- The form of carbohydrate circulating in the blood and the primary fuel for the brain. It is found in sweet fruits and some sweet vegetables. Glucose is a monosaccharide. It is the major carbohydrate fuel used by the body and the primary fuel for the brain. Most dietary carbohydrates are converted to glucose in order to be absorbed into the blood. • In order to explain what glycogen is and how one stores it, let’s take an athlete for example. Athletes need to eat at specific times so that all the food they eat gets absorbed and their glycogen stores become fully replenished. After either having trained & competed, an athlete's glycogen stores are depleted or used up. In order to replenish them the athlete needs to consider the speed at which carbohydrate is converted into blood glucose and transported to the muscles. The rapid replenishment of glycogen stores is important for the track athlete who probably needs to revive him/herself a multiple of times. The rise in blood glucose levels is indicated by a food's Glycaemic Index (GI) - the faster and higher the blood glucose rises the higher the GI. High GI foods take 1 to 2 hours to be absorbed and low GI foods can take 3 to 4 hours to be absorbed. • 57% Carbohydrates (sugar, sweets, bread, cakes) 30% Fats (dairy products, oil) 13% Protein (eggs, milk, meat, poultry, fish) The energy yield per gram is as follows: Carbohydrate - 4 Calories, Fats - 9 Calories and Protein - 4 Calories. What is fiber? Explain and give examples: Fiber is a specific type of carbohydrate that is resistant to digestion in the body. It is not digested by enzymes in the intestinal tract but is partially digested by bacteria in the lower gut. There are different types of fiber including soluable (partially dissolves in water) and insoluable (does not dissolve in water) that have an effect on your body in different ways. Soluable fiber slows the passage of food through the intestines. Insoluable fiber is found in plant cell walls and speed up the passage of food in the digestive tract. Examples: Whole fruits/vegetables Whole grain breads Brown rice Nuts/Seeds Whole grain cereals Wheat bran

Examples of better choices of carbohydrates: Whole grain or whole oat breakfast cereals Brown rice Whole grain breads Whole wheat pasta (or at least half whole wheat, half white) Beans Fruits and Vegetables

[] [] [] Some examples of carbohydrates that are not the best option to eat include, refined grains like white bread and white rice, processed foods such as cake, cookies, and chips, soft drinks, and alcohol. A disease you have to be careful of when it comes to eating carbohydrates is diabetes or even heart disease. · What types of carbohydrates are there? Explain the difference and give examples. Complex Carbohydrates foods  are basically those in wholegrain form such as wholegrain breads, oats, muesli and brown rice. Complex carbs are broken down into glucose more slowly than [|simple carbohydrates]  and thus provide a gradual steady stream of energy throughout the day. There is also, Simple carbohydrates (a.k.a Monosaccharides) are known as simple sugars. This simply means that a [|carbohydrate]  that is labelled as a monosaccharide cannot be broken down further. Monosaccharides are carbohydrates that are already broken down as far as they can be. · What is the percentage recommended for carbohydrates? Approximately 50% of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates if you are an otherwise healthy individual. Carbohydrates are your main source of fuel for the body and the brain so it is very important that you get those. Complex carbohydrates are going to be more beneficial to your body.