Contents:
- Medical Video: Carbohydrates - Types Of Carbohydrates - What Are Carbohydrates - What Are Good Carbs And Bad Carbs
- Starch
- Sugar
- Fiber
Medical Video: Carbohydrates - Types Of Carbohydrates - What Are Carbohydrates - What Are Good Carbs And Bad Carbs
Did you know, are there three main types of carbohydrates in food? These three types are:
- Starch (also known as complex carbohydrates)
- Sugar
- Fiber
You have also heard of terms like natural sugar, sugar extract, low-calorie sweeteners, sugar alcohol, refined grains, enriched grains, complex carbohydrates, sweet foods, and whole grains.
No wonder if you are confused about finding out what and how many types of carbohydrates you should consume.
In nutritional labels, the term "total carbohydrate" includes all three types of carbohydrates above. This is the amount you should pay attention to if you are on a carbo diet.
Starch
Foods that are rich in starch include:
- Starchy vegetables such as peas, corn, lima beans, and potatoes
- Dried beans, lentils and nuts such as pinto beans, red beans, black beans and split nuts
- Grains such as wheat, barley, and rice. Most wheat products are made from wheat flour, including pasta, bread and biscuits, but the types of food also vary with the addition of grains.
The group of wheat can be processed as whole wheat or processed grains.
Wheat consists of three parts:
- Bran
- Seed
- Endosperm
Bran is hard outer skin. This section contains the most fiber and most of the B vitamins and minerals.
Seeds are the next layer and contain lots of nutrients, including essential fatty acids and vitamin E.
The endosperm is a soft part in the middle of wheat seeds that contain starch. Whole wheat means that all parts of wheat are in food.
If you eat whole wheat alias whole wheat which contains bran, seeds, and endosperms, then you will get all the nutrients that are in the seeds. If you eat processed grains that only contain endosperms or parts of the flour, you will lose a lot of vitamins and minerals. Because, whole seeds contain the whole part of the seed and are far more nutritious than processed grains.
Sugar
Sugar is another type of carbohydrate. You also naturally know simple sugars or easily digestible carbohydrates.
There are two main types of sugar, namely:
- Natural sugar as contained in milk or fruits
- Sugar is added in the processing, such as canned fruit with thick syrup or to make cakes.
On nutritional labels, the total sugar weight calculated includes natural sugar and added sugar.
There are many different sugar designations. Common examples are kitchen sugar, brown sugar, syrup, honey, sugar beet, cane sugar, sweetener, powdered sugar, raw sugar, turbinado, maple syrup, high fructose corn syrup, agave syrup and sugar cane syrup.
You may also have seen kitchen sugar with its chemical name, sucrose. Fruit sugar also known as fructose and milk sugar is called lactose. You can recognize other types of sugar in the label because the chemical name also ends with "-osa", for example glucose (also called dextrose), fructose (also called levulose), and lactose and maltose.
Fiber
Fiber comes from vegetable, so fiber is not in animal products such as milk, eggs, meat, poultry, and fish.
Fiber is a plant or vegetable substance that cannot be digested, including fruits, vegetables, grains, beans and legumes. When you consume fibrous foods, the fiber will pass through the intestine and not be digested.
For the sake of a healthy body, adults should consume 25-30 grams of fiber per day. The majority of people do not consume enough fiber in their diet. Therefore, increasing the amount of fiber in your food is a wise choice. Most people only get more than half the recommended fiber intake.
Fiber or fiber contributes to maintaining digestive health, helping you to keep on doing the routine, and makes you feel full after eating.
As an added benefit, a high-fiber diet can reduce cholesterol levels, and this has been suggested by some researchers as another benefit of consuming fiber.
Fiber sources include:
- Peanuts and legumes such as black beans, red beans, pintos, peas (garbanzos), white beans, and lentils.
- Fruits and vegetables, especially those with edible skin (for example, apples, corn and beans) and whose seeds can be eaten (berries).
- Grains such as:
- Wheat paste
- Wheat cereal. Look for foods that contain 3 grams of fiber or more per portion, including those made from wheat, and wheat bran.
- Wheat bread. A good source of fiber, because one slice of bread contains at least 3 grams of fiber. Look for bread made from wheat, such as wheat flour. Today, many grain products contain "extra fiber" with fiber added to it.
- Beans, try several types of nuts. Peanuts, walnuts and almonds are good sources of fiber and healthy fats, but keep in mind the portions, because these nuts also contain many calories even in small amounts.
In general, the perfect source of fiber must contain at least 5 grams or more in each portion, however a good source of fiber contains at least 2.5-4.9 grams per serving.
The best way to consume fiber is to eat fibrous foods instead of consuming supplements. Besides containing fiber, this food is also rich in nutrients, contains many important vitamins and minerals for the body. In fact, it may be that these grains contain nutrients that aren't even known yet!
It is important for you to know to increase fiber intake gradually to prevent stomach irritation. Remember always to increase water intake and other fluids to prevent constipation.
