Macronutrients: Carbohydrates

(this information can be found anywhere in the web. My source was http://www.cdc.gov/nutrition/everyone/basics/carbs.html )

In the quest towards a healthy lifestyle one must understand what one consumes. Our food is what directly affects us physiologically which directly influences the hormonal level (moods, feelings) and our mental capacity (overall function). In our food we find 3 major sources of energy or calories. These are Carbohydrates, Protein and Fat. 

 Picture of glucose, the breakdown goal of the body for the consumed carbohydrates. 

Carbohydrates: 

• Provide 4 calories per gram
• Break down to glucose which are the readily available in the blood. Once in the blood, the body needs to use this sugar-fuel somehow either to provide for body function (exercise, recovery, nutrient absorption, brain function, etc.) if needed or either store it in the liver and the muscles. These two types of "storage units" can only hold so much which results to store in a form that can hold energy almost endlessly, body fat. 
• Types 

       - Fruits

       - Veggies

       - Breads, cereals, grains, legumes

       - Dairy

       - Foods containing added sugars

"Good" Carbs, "Bad" Carbs

Complex Carbohydrates

• Good Carbs
• Complex because they take longer to digest and therefore are released into the blood in a slower but continuous manner. Less of glucose (what every carb is broken down into to be absorbed by the body) in the blood then the less urgency there is for the body to use this available fuel. 
• Include Fiber in their composition. Fiber is essential as it provides benefit to the digestive tract and helps keep it running smoothly. 2 types of fiber, soluble and insoluble. Both are equally necessary in our diet and can be attained by varying your complex carbohydrate sources. Fiber not only gives you the sense of fullness for longer periods but also provides ZERO calories. That's a win-win!
  
  Soluble fiber* is found in the following:
  • Oatmeal
  • Oat bran
  • Nuts and seeds
  • Most fruits (e.g., strawberries, blueberries, pears, and apples)
  • Dry beans and peas
  Insoluble fiber* found in the following:
• Whole wheat bread
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Couscous
• Bulgur or whole grain cereals
• Wheat bran
• Seeds
• Most vegetables
• Fruits

*Both of these lists also are sources of complex carbohydrates. Nuts provide very little amount of carbohydrates compared to other foods on these lists. 

Simple Carbohydrates

• Bad Carbs
• Refined or processed Carbohydrates with white flour or added sugars. 
• Become readily available in the blood and the body has to urgently distribute this abundant source energy by using this energy or storing it (in liver, muscles, or as Fat). 
• Spike insulin which is the hormone that becomes the vessel of glucose or sugar in the blood to be spent or stored. 
• In a nutrition label you can find the amount of simple Carbohydrates you are about to consume since they are displayed as "Sugars" in grams. 
• Are found in:

      - Fruits

      - Veggies

      - Dairy

      - Flour, Breads, Crackers 

      - Concentrated forms of these such as cane sugar, syrups, molasses etc. 

Look for these ingredients as added sugars:

Brown sugar Corn sweetener Corn syrup Dextrose Fructose Fruit juice concentrates Glucose High-fructose corn syrup Honey

Invert sugar Lactose Maltose Malt Syrup Molasses Raw sugar Sucrose Sugar Syrup

In summary, it is necessary to understand what types of carbohydrates we are eating so we can choose healthier by eating grains, legumes, veggies, and other sources that provide fiber. These will be introduced in the bloodstream at a much slower pace giving the body a chance to burn a larger percentage of the food rather than storing it. The body will result in storing most of the simple carbohydrates because the food source is closer to the glucose, the fuel the body wants to burn therefore resulting as fat accumulation as well as in most of our cases fat conservation. Ever wonder why your exercise effort seems meaningless? These simple Carbohydrates are to blame. What you eat in private will be what is shown to the world.