What are Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are simple molecules that are straight-chain aldehydes or ketones with many hydroxyl groups added, usually one on each carbon atom that is not part of the aldehyde or ketone functional group. The term carbohydrate was originally used to describe compounds that were literally “hydrates of carbon” because they had the empirical formula CH2O. In recent years, carbohydrates have been classified on the basis of their structures, not their formulas. They are now defined as polyhydroxy aldehydes and ketones. Among the compounds that belong to this family are cellulose, starch, glycogen, and most sugars.
There are three classes of carbohydrates: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and polysaccharides. The monosaccharides are white, crystalline solids that contain a single aldehyde or ketone functional group. They are subdivided into two classes — aldoses and ketoses –on the basis of whether they are aldehydes or ketones. They are also classified as a triose, tetrose, pentose, hexose, or heptose on the basis of whether they contain three, four, five, six, or seven carbon atoms.
Carbohydrate-counter.org writes, “Carbohydrates provide the most easily accessible energy source for your body. The other main sources of energy are protein and fats. However, carbohydrates are efficiently converted into glucose which will be used for energy. Glucose is used directly by your muscles and brain. Excess glucose is stored as glycogen in your muscles. Where a supply of glucose is not available, your muscles will burn fat as a source of energy… Many people will try and avoid all types of carbohydrates where possible, particularly when on weight loss diets. This is not a good idea. Carbohydrates in general are not normally a problem. It’s the quality of carbohydrates that should be taken into account. Highly processed foods should be avoided. This is because they normally contain a higher proportion of simple carbohydrates. For example, whole grain bread (complex carbs) should be eaten instead of white bread which uses refined white flour (simple carbs).”
HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH writes about carbohydrates, “Carbohydrates come from a wide array of foods - bread, beans, milk, popcorn, potatoes, cookies, spaghetti, corn, and cherry pie. They also come in a variety of forms. The most common and abundant are sugars, fibers, and starches. The basic building block of a carbohydrate is a sugar molecule, a simple union of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Starches and fibers are essentially chains of sugar molecules. Some contains hundreds of sugars. Some chains are straight, others branch wildly.”
Steven Dowshen, MD reviews the Carbohydrates and writes, “The carbohydrates in some foods (mostly those that contain a lot of simple sugars) cause the blood sugar level to rise more quickly than others. Scientists have been studying whether eating foods that cause big jumps in blood sugar may be related to health problems like diabetes and heart disease. You’re probably already on the right track if you are limiting simple sugars (such as candy) and eating more complex carbohydrates (like vegetables, oatmeal, and whole-grain wheat bread).”
