Carbohydrates and Your Health
(Or Lack Thereof)
What are carbohydrates?Organic macromolecules. The basic building block is 6 carbon molecules bonded to 6 water molecules. What are the three broad
classifications of carbs?
Monosaccharides and disaccharides (the simple carbs); oligosaccharides and polysaccharides (the complex carbs); and fiber and cellulose (non-digestible carbs): Monosaccharides -- These compounds include glucose and isomers of glucose, such as fructose and galactose. Chemically, monosaccharides are a ring of 6 carbon atoms bonded to 12 hydrogen atoms and 6 oxygen atoms. Disaccharides -- Two glucose (or two glucose isomers) bonded together. They include sucrose and isomers of sucrose, such as maltose and lactose. Oligosaccharides and polysaccharides -- So-called starches can be several "glucose blocks" long (oligosaccharides) or hundreds to thousands of "glucose blocks" long (polysaccharides). Long polysaccharides, like glycogen, are insoluble in water and thus good for energy storage in the body. Fiber and Cellulose -- These carbs are non-digestible because of their
biochemical structures.
What are some foods that contain lots of carbohydrates? - Bread
- Pasta
- Rice
- Apple juice
- Orange Juice
- Grapefruit juice
- Ketchup
- Most Breakfast Cereals
- Jelly
- Candy
- Cakes
- Pies
- Nearly everything else in the grocery store!
What are some relatively low carb foods? - Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Almonds
- Peanut butter
- Broccoli
- Spinach
- Brussels sprouts
- Spices
- Coffee
- Tea
- Eggs
- Butter
- Meats
- Water
- Oil
Do human beings need to eat carbs in their diet? Shockingly, no. We apparently can get all the nutrients and energy we need from fats and proteins. True, the brain needs glucose to function on a daily basis, but we can generate that glucose from breaking down the proteins we eat.
Can eating carbs hurt us? As you might be able to guess from the topic of this website, the authors believe so! Please review the rest of this site to learn more, and/or read books written by true experts in the field, including Christian Allan and Wolfgang Lutz’s Life Without Bread; Dr. Robert Atkins' New Diet Revolution; and Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories.
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