Carbohydrates:
The Preferred
Body Fuel
Carbohydrates game:
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/dont-ditch-carbs
Carbohydrates: One of 6 essential nutrients and are
your body's main source of energy -should be the bulk of your
diet. Made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen.
Types:
• Monosaccharides (made of single sugar units)
• Sugars
• Glucose (blood sugar)
• Fructose (fruits and honey)
• Galactose – bonds with glucose (sugar in milk)
• Disaccharides (made up of 2 sugar units)
• Sugars
• Sucrose (table sugar)
• Maltose (found in some grains)
• Lactose (milk)
• Polysaccharides (made up of many sugar units)
• Starches (corn, potatoes, bread)
• Fibers (plant foods only)
Simple vs. complex carbs
• Monosaccharides and disaccharides are simple
• High in simple sugars
• Candy, syrups, soft drinks
• Polysaccharides are complex
• High in starch and fiber
• Breads, cereals, rice, pasta, and veggies
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6esFOqj_IaY
How the Body Uses Carbs
• Eating carbs sets off a complex chain of events in your body
• Carbs must be in the form of glucose for cells to use
• Digestive system breaks down poly and disaccharides into
monosaccharides (glucose)
• When the amount of glucose in the blood rises, insulin is released
from the pancreas – helps to lower blood glucose back to normal
• Body cells burn glucose for energy
• If the cells do not have immediate energy needs, excess glucose is
converted to glycogen and stored (2/3 is stored in muscles as an
energy source)
• The liver stores the rest, but can only store so much.
• Too much makes your liver convert the excess carbs into fat.
• Too little and the body breaks down protein and fats for energy
Hunger vs. Appetite
• Complex carbohydrates take longer to digest than simple CHO.
This gives complex carbohydrates great satiety value.
• Satiety is the feeling of fullness after you have eaten food. If the
sandwich you eat is higher in complex carbs, you are likely to feel
fuller longer after eating vs. having a candy bar for lunch.
• http://gurumagazine.org/food/bacon-or-bagel-which-is-best-for-breakfast/
Functions
• Produce energy
• Provide 4 calories of energy per gram
• Body can use and store them efficiently
• When stored forms of carbs become depleted,
you feel signs of fatigue
• Spare proteins
• Body is less efficient in using proteins for
energy
• Body should use proteins to build and
maintain cell structures
• Eat adequate carbs so you spare proteins for
more vital role
Functions continued
• Break down fats
• When fats are not broken down
completely, compounds called ketone
bodies are formed
• Collect in bloodstream and make it
more acidic than normal (can cause
damage to cells and organs-ketosis).
• Breath smells of nail polish remover,
nauseous and weak, coma, death.
Functions cont’d.
• Provide bulk in the diet
• Fiber is responsible – promotes
normal digestion and helps
intestinal muscles retain their tone
• Acts like a sponge and absorbs
water
• Swells and makes you feel fuller
• Slows the rate at which the
stomach empties
3 terms for fiber
• Dietary – nondigestible carbs-plant foods
• Functional – nondigestible carbs-added to
processed foods to enhance health benefits –
cereals and grains
• Total – sum of dietary and functional fibers
Meeting your carbohydrate
needs
• Dietary Guidelines recommend 45-65% of total calories come
from carbohydrates
• Rich sources of carbohydrates include:
How much is a serving? Look at Supertracker printouts!
Good Carbs vs. Bad Carbs
Meeting needs
• The typical diet in the U.S. fails to meet recommendations for
carbs.
• Most Americans eat more carbs than recommended, but too many
are simple carbohydrates.
• How does your diet compare? Which do you choose more often?
• Do you choose
OR
• Do you choose
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_RxfQqpkkE
Sugars
• Simple carbohydrates (sugars) in foods can be divided into
2 categories:
• Sugars that occur naturally in foods, are generally
accompanied by other nutrients
• Lactose in milk
• Fructose in fruits
• Sugars added to foods at the table or during processing
AKA refined sugars, are separated from their natural
sources for use as food additives
• Soft drinks
• Candy
• Cakes
• Processed foods (ketchup and cereal)
Sugars continued…
• Reduced fat and fat-free food products
often contain much added sugar
• Consumers try limiting their calorie
intake by buying reduced-fat and fatfree cookies, however these products
often have as many calories as regular
cookies.
• Results in weight gain instead of
weight loss
•
Hidden sugars: http://laughingsquid.com/a-ted-ed-animation-uncovering-the-hidden-sources-of-sugar-inour-diets/
Starches
• Preferred source of fuel for your diet
• Body can burn them efficiently for energy
• Have a greater satiety value than simple sugars
• Many are also excellent sources of vitamins, minerals,
and fiber
• Includes foods from the grain group, vegetable
group and legumes
Fiber
• The DRI for 14-18 year old females is 26 grams per day.
• The DRI for 14-50 year old males is 38 grams per day.
• Based on intakes that have been shown to help protect against
heart disease
• Most people need to double their current fiber intakes to meet
these recommendations
High fiber foods:
Fruits
Grains, cereal,
pasta
Legumes
Vegetables
Raspberries – 8
g/cup
Spaghetti, whole
wheat – 6.3 g/cup
Split peas – 16.3
g/cup
Artichoke – 10.3
g/medium
Pears – 5.5
g/medium
Barley – 6 g/cup
Lentils – 15.6
g/cup
Green peas 8.8
g/cup
Health questions related to
carbs
• Are starchy foods fattening?
• Contain 4 calories/gram, just like
protein
• Many times it is because of the
toppings these foods are served
with (potato with sour cream)
• Try limiting fatty topping, not
carbohydrates, from your diet
Is sugar a hazard to your teeth?
• http://www.mouthhealthy.org/en/az-topics/d/diet-anddental-health
• There is a clear connection between sweets and dental
caries (tooth decay)
• However, starches can promote tooth decay, too.
• The risk of dental caries depends on two main factors
– the type of food and when you eat it
• Sticky carbs (cookies, caramels) stick to the teeth
• Carbs eaten during meals are removed from the
mouth by beverages and other foods eaten with
them
Health questions related to
carbs
• Does sugar cause hyperactivity?
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzaRphyI3ZQ
• Researchers have found no proof that
consuming sugars causes behavior
changes in most people
• It is true that eating sugars gives children
energy needed to fuel activity
• However, children at a party my exhibit
rowdy behavior simply because they are
excited.
Is sugar addictive?
• http://www.webmd.com/diet/ss/slideshow-sugar-addiction
• Experiments have shown that if animals do not have
a nutritious diet, they will eat excessive amounts of
sugar.
• When the animals are allowed to eat a variety of
foods they seem to be less dependent on sugar –
therefore, not an addiction.
• Research has shown people are born with a
preference for sweet-tasting foods and it is believed
that the need for sugar is more psychological than
physiological.
• People eat sweets because they enjoy them, not
because they are addicted to them.
Does too much sugar
cause Diabetes?
• Diabetes is a lack of or an inability to use the hormone insulin.
• Sugars and starches in foods you eat are converted to glucose.
• Being overweight does increase your risk for developing type 2
diabetes, and a diet high in calories from any source contributes to
weight gain. Research has shown that drinking sugary drinks is linked
to type 2 diabetes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHlWM8_iqfA
www.foxnews.com/health/2014/11/16/understanding-diabetes-andbusting-myths
Celiac Disease
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfaiALf_014