Nutritional Doublethink
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Carbohydrates

What is a Carbohydrate?

A carbohydrate is a compound with 1 or more sugars. The more complex the structure (the more sugars and the more branching) the more complex the carbohydrate. Simple carbohydrates are just that, simple. They have one or two sugars bound together. We call simple carbohydrates, simple sugars. Complex carbohydrates have many sugars linked together. This is the way we store sugar and the way plants store sugar and gain structure. CHO is a commonly used abbreviation for carbohydrate.

    carb = carbon     hydrate = water    saccharide = sugar                   
    mono = one or single    di = two or double    poly = many

Simple Carbohydrates

Illustration of monosaccharides glucose, fructose and galactose and and disaccharides maltose, sucrose and lactoseStructure of mono and disaccharides
Simple carbohydrates are simple sugars. There are 6 simple CHOs:
3 single sugars and 3 double sugars:

  • Monosaccharides (single sugars)
    • fructose: fruit sugar
    • glucose: body’s blood sugar
    • galactose: part of milk sugar
  • Disaccharides (double sugars)
    • maltose:  glucose + glucose = malt sugar
    • sucrose: fructose + glucose = table sugar
    • lactose: galactose + glucose = milk sugar

Complex Carbohydrates

Illustration of starch, fiber and glycogen, three complex carbohydratesComplex carbohydrates, starch, glycogen and fiber
A complex carbohydrate is a polysaccharide. Poly means many and saccharide is sugar. In polysaccharides, the main sugar unit is glucose. Polysaccharides are made up of many glucose units, up to several thousand! There are 3 complex carbohydrates:

Starch

  • Plant storage form of carbohydrate
  • Repeating units of glucose with some branching
  • An example is the starch stored inside a corn kernel      

Glycogen

  • Animal storage form of glucose
  • Repeating units of glucose, highly branched, very dense
  • Glycogen is our (humans) storage form of carbohydrate
  • There are very few carbohydrates in meat we eat (eg: chicken), because the glycogen breaks down rapidly once the animal is slaughtered.

Fiber
  • Structural component in plants
  • Repeating units of glucose linked together
  • Bonds cannot be broken (digested) by humans
  • Fiber passes through the digestive tract unabsorbed
  • Cellulose, a type of fiber, makes up the cell wall of plants

Types of Foods with Carbohydrates

Most whole carbohydrate foods have both simple and complex carbohydrates. Grains have starch and fiber and a small amount of naturally occurring sugar. Fruits have naturally occurring glucose, fructose, sucrose and fiber. Some fruits, such as bananas, also have starch. Vegetables have a small amount of glucose, fructose, sucrose along with fiber. Green vegetables have little to no starch, while root vegetables such as potatoes and carrots have more starch. Dairy has lactose. Nuts have fiber and a small amount of sucrose and starch.

Simple vs Complex Carbohydrate Video

< Digestion & Absorption
Carbohydrate Digestion >

References

  1. Groff. J, Gropper S. Chapter 4 Carbohydrates. In: Advanced Nutrition and Human Metabolism 3rd Ed. Belmont, CA. Wadsworth; 2000.
  2. Carbohydrates. US National Library of Medicine. https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002469.htm. Last updated February 2, 2016. Last accessed February 27, 2016.
  3. Monoaccharide and disaccharide diagram by Christine Dobrowolski, CC BY-SA 2.0.
  4. Starch, fiber and glycogen diagram by Christine Dobrowolski, CC BY-SA 2.0.
  5. Wheat header image by Charles Knowles on FlickrCC, CC by 2.0. 
Last updated April 8, 2016.

Nutritional Doublethink

Nutritional Doublethink™ is the simultaneous acceptance of two contradictory beliefs about a food, "unhealthy is healthy". This website explores these contradictions and their impact on health. The information on this website is not meant to replace the advice from your doctor or dietitian.

Copyright Nutritional Doublethink™, 2017

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  • Home
  • About
  • Blog
  • Chart
  • Gallery
  • Nutrition Topics
    • Nutrition Basics >
      • Food Label
      • Nutritious Diet
      • Whole vs Processed
      • Food Choices
      • Nutrition and Disease
    • Dietary Guidelines >
      • Determining Intakes
      • Portion Size
      • Food Groups
    • Digestive Tract >
      • Digestion & Absorption
    • Carbohydrates >
      • Carbohydrate Digestion
      • Carbohydrate Absorption
      • Sugar
      • Foods with Sugar
      • Fiber
      • Glucose Regulation
      • Carbohydrate Recommendations
    • Lipids >
      • Lipid Digestion
      • Cholesterol
      • Essential Fatty Acids
      • Trans Fatty Acids
      • Lipid Recommendations
    • Protein >
      • Protein Structure
      • Protein Functions
      • Protein Digestion
      • Protein Digestibility
      • Protein Recommendations
    • Vitamins >
      • Vitamin A
      • Vitamin D
      • Vitamin E
      • Vitamin K
      • Vitamin C
      • B-Vitamins
      • Vitamin B1: Thiamin
      • Vitamin B2: Riboflavin
      • Vitamin B3: Niacin
      • Vitamin B6: Pyridoxine
      • Vitamin B9: Folate
      • Vitamin B12: Cobalamin
    • Minerals >
      • Calcium
      • Sodium
      • Potassium
      • Iron
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