What Are Carbohydrates?What are carbohydrates? Why are they so important?.. Carbohydrates are your body's primary energy source and they are not nearly as bad as many people think. You will feel tired physically and mentally without them, your body and brain will not function properly. Although you can obtain energy from proteins and fat alone, carbohydrates are an important part of a healthy diet. However, everything should be in balance and moderation! You do not want extreme fluctuations of energy in your body. It is important to balance your carb intake with some protein, fiber and a little fat. 
There are two types of carbohydrates: Simple and complex and they both turn into glucose when digested. The body's glucose metabolism is a cycle of glucose, insulin and glucagon reactions. The more processed the carbohydrate, the faster the glucose is released into your blood. This can cause sudden spikes and drops in your blood glucose levels, hence volatile energy levels in the body. Whereas complex carbs provide a slower and more sustained release of energy than simple carbs. Please be aware that restricting carbohydrates in your diet will also lead to binge eating. Many people will end up craving for very sweet and unhealthy carbohydrates, rather than loading up on whole grains, fruits, vegetables and milk. It would better serve the body to eat nourishing carbohydrates throughout the day. How much carbohydrate?The British Nutrition Foundation states that carbohydrates should be a minimum of 47 percent of your total daily calories. Most of this should come from complex carbohydrates, the rest- about 10% from simple sugars.Carbohydrates do not require oxygen to burn therefore they fuel most muscular contractions, meaning your carbohydrate intake is very important for regular exercise sessions. If carbohydrate stores are low, exercise will seem like a real effort. Simple sugars are little molecules made up of one or two sugar units. Refined simple sugars are found in cookies, cakes, jams, honey, pizza, soft drink, sugary breakfast cereals and chocolate. Natural simple sugars are in fruits, vegetables and dairy products. 
Complex carbohydrates are long chains of the single sugar units connected together. For example, the complex carbohydrate or starch as it is commonly known is made up of many glucose units. These complex carbohydrates can be in the shape of long chains or branches. They are found in foods like porridge, vegetables, bananas, brown rice, whole grain breads, high fiber breakfast cereals, chickpeas, beans and wholemeal pasta. Complex carbohydrates are usually: • Full of vitamins and minerals. • Rich in nutrition. • High in fiber. • Helpful in making you feel fuller longer. • Higher in satiety index. • Lower in Glycemic Index value. Dietary fiber is a group of very complex carbohydrates - found mostly in plants - whose chemical structure prevents them from being digested by humans. We don't have the digestive enzymes needed to break down the bonds that hold together fiber's glucose units. Dietary fibre pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation - final act of digestion by which the organisms eliminate solid or liquid waste material. References: Department of Health. Dietary Reference Values for Food Energy and Nutrients for the United Kingdom. HMSO. 1991. The British Nutrition Foundation: What are Carbohydrates ? Joint WHO/FAO expert consultation (1998), Carbohydrates in human nutrition, Chapter 1. DHHS and USDA, Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2005, Chapter 7 Carbohydrates. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ Carbohydrate: What are Carbohydrates ? http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/focus/nutrition/facts/ lifestylemanagement/carbohydrates.htm. http://nutrition.about.com/od/ basicnutritionecourse/a/carbohydrates_2.htm. "Carbohydrates." Nutrition Source, Harvard School of Public Health. March 20, 2007.
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