Kinds Of Carbohydrates
Lean about the 3 kinds of carbohydrates. Carbohydrates play a big role in people’s lives because of their unique function in human metabolism. Carbohydrates are the body’s fuel, without which a person would not be able to produce enough energy.
There are some diet programs that try to limit or eliminate carbohydrate-rich foods from the daily diet. While the effectiveness of doing this to lose weight is still up for debate, the general consensus is that some carbohydrate types may not be suitable for people with metabolic issues. Foods rich in this compound can elevate the quantity of glucose in the bloodstream. Thus, diabetics as well as people on a diet are particularly careful about the kinds of carbohydrates they consume every day.
3 Kinds of Carbohydrates
1. Starch
It’s fair to say that among the kinds of carbohydrates, starch is the most common. Every continent in the world has a staple starch source, which is also the main crop for many countries in the region. The human diet is rife with foods that contain starch, which is a complex carbohydrate. Rice, corn, wheat and potatoes are some of the starch sources that grow in any location in the world, although rice is more adapted to Asian countries than the other kinds. In the western hemisphere, wheat is more common than rice, and this is used to create pasta and bread.
Starchy foods have to be cooked properly for the human body to digest it. Raw wheat, corn and potatoes won’t be usable as sources of energy until cooked. This is because the body has to digest the complex carbohydrates to glucose, the usable form of carbohydrate.
2. Simple Sugars
Among the kinds of carbohydrates, simple sugars are deemed the most dangerous when taken in excess. The kind of sugar a person can get from honey, table sugar, molasses and syrup are easily digested by the body and can enter the bloodstream rapidly. Eating plenty of this type of carbohydrates can satisfy your cravings but they will cause a spike in blood sugar content faster than complex kinds of carbohydrates. Some fruits, vegetables and dairy products also contain simple carbohydrates.
3. Fiber
Like other complex kinds of carbohydrates, fiber is made up of different polysaccharides such as cellulose and arabinoxylan. The main difference is that these polysaccharides are different in structure compared to starch. Fiber can be further broken down into several types, water-soluble and water-insoluble, which both have their unique functions in the human body.
Water-soluble fiber can readily be transformed inside the large intestines into byproducts and gas. Foods containing soluble fiber are good for people because this kind of fiber can keep a person from feeling hungry too soon after the last meal. Because it takes a longer time for the body to digest this, the person feels full longer. Water-insoluble fiber can be useful for people on a diet because they act as natural laxatives. Instead of being dissolved, they absorb water in the large intestines and help in the excretion of stool.
Some kinds of carbohydrates are not good for the body when consumed in excess, but other types can help the body produce more energy. It is important then to distinguish between the different carbs in regular foodstuffs.
