Practices... - Healthy Diet - Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are used in the energy processes of your body and are found in whole grains, plant foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes, and animal milk products. They can be further broken down into simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates.

Simple carbohydrates, or simple sugars, include the monosaccharides glucose, fructose (fruit sugar), and galactose and the disaccharides maltose, sucrose (white sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). Simple carbohydrates provide a quick energy source of short duration. Fruits in particular are one of the richest sources of naturally occurring simple carbohydrates.

White sugar (refined, granulated sucrose) is a more refined simple carbohydrate whose structure is foreign to the body and the average person consumes 45 pounds of it per year! Your immune system will treat white sugar as an invader and seek to eliminate it from your body. White sugar also depresses white blood cell activity and interferes with the absorption of various nutrients. These effects begin within thirty minutes of consumption and last for five hours. Considering the sheer quantity, the unnecessary strain on your immune system is definitely something to consider. In general, avoid white sugar.

Lactose is indigestible by 75% of the adult population due to a deficiency of lactase -- a digestive enzyme found in the small intestine required to digest lactose. Digestive upset occurs as a result. If you are lactose intolerant, use soy or rice milk instead. For more information on lactose intolerance and appropriate solutions, see the dedicated section on Lactose Intolerance. For more information on milk alternatives, see the dedicated section on Non-Dairy Milk.

Complex carbohydrates are composed of longer, more complex chains of sugar molecules and can be found in fibre, legumes, starches, vegetables, and whole grains. Complex carbohydrates include the polysaccharides glycogen (not a dietary source of carbohydrates), starches, and soluble / insoluble fibre (nonstarch polysaccharides)

Complex carbohydrates are converted into glucose and used to fuel cell activity throughout the body. Glucose is also the sole source of energy relied on by the brain and red blood cells. Glucose is stored as glycogen in your liver and muscle cells for future use. Taking in more calories than your body requires results in the longer-term storage of carbohydrates as fat in the body, again, for future use.

The modern North American diet is rich in carbohydrates. Unfortunately, the majority are derived from refined foods such as candy, soft drinks, desserts, and white sugar. As previously mentioned, these forms offer a quick energy boost, but are lacking in any true nutritional value and prove detrimental to your health over the long term. Adult-onset diabetes and hypoglycemia typically result from a refined carbohydrate diet early in life. In addition, refined carbohydrate products, such as prepared baked goods (cakes, cookies, danishes, doughnuts, muffins, pastries, et cetera), are also typically high in undesirable types of fat. Instead, opt for natural, unrefined carbohydrate rich-foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains.

Fibre is also a type of carbohydrate that is resistant to the digestive enzymes in your body. Only a small amount is metabolized and the remainder passes through your gastrointestinal tract to be excreted. Fibre helps prevent constipation and hemorrhoids, lowers cholesterol, reduces the risk of colon cancer and proves helpful when dealing with irritable bowel syndrome. It also improves nutrient absorption and cleanses the digestive tract, helping remove toxins in the process. For more information, see the dedicated section on Fibre.

In general, calories from carbohydrates should comprise 30 to 40% of your daily total intake.