Hello beautiful people! It's Saturday! I hope you are all taking care of yourselves in this time. The world is hurting and we are all concerned, but it is important to take care of our holistic health. Ensure that you are getting enough sleep, eating a filling balanced diet, staying adequately hydrated and nurturing healthy relationships with friends and family. With all that is going on with the coronavirus it is important to seek God and lean on him.
For today's blogpost, we will be talking about carbohydrates. Let's begin.
What are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrate is one of three macronutrients. The other two are fat and protein. They are called macronutrients because your body needs them in large amounts. Carbohydrates are made of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen atoms. They are broken down to their simplest form, glucose, which is converted to energy to drive biological processes in the body. You can find carbohydrates in:
Fruits:
- Apples
- Bananas
- Cherries
- Grapes
- Canteloupe etc.
Vegetables:
- Green leafy Vegetables
- Beets
- Potatoes
- Tomatoes and legumes.
- Carrots etc.
Dairy products
- Milk
- Cheese
- Yogurt
Grains:
- Oats
- Rice
- Barley
- Bulgar
- Wheat etc.
Legumes:
- Black eyed Peas
- Lentils
- Kidney beans
- Edamame
- Green beans
- White Beans etc.
There are different types of carbohydrates. There are monosaccharides, which are the simplest forms of carbs and include glucose, fructose and galactose. Then there are disaccharides which are made up of two monosaccharides. These include sucrose (glucose + fructose) , lactose (glucose + galactose) and maltose (glucose +glucose). Lastly we have polysaccharides which are a combination of multiple monosaccharides linked by glycosidic bonds. These include starch, cellulose and glycogen ( storage form of carbohydrates in animals including humans).
Carbohydrates are broken down in the body via a metabolic process called glycolysis and used by the brain, muscles and other organs for energy. Glucose is the brain's primary choice as an energy source. In fact, when the body is running low on carbohydrates the body will generate its own through another metabolic process called gluconeogenesis (generation of new glucose) using non carbohydrate precursors like amino acids, lactate and pyruvate.
How are carbohydrates digested?
Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth with an enzyme that initiates the breakdown. This enzyme is called salivary amylase. Carbohydrates are further broken down in the stomach by stomach acid (hydrochloric acid). It then moves to the small intestines where it is further broken down to glucose by enzymes. The glucose is absorbed in the small intestine and sent to the liver where it is either metabolized and used to power cellular processes or stored as glycogen for later use, The undigested part of the carbohydrate moves on to the colon and feeds the bacteria that live there. This part of the carbohydrate known as fiber or "roughage" is important to maintain a healthy GI tract.
There are lots of opinions about carbs and there are loads of low carb diets on the internet. However, I want you to remember this. Carbohydrates are NOT the enemy. In fact they are NECESSARY. They help us concentrate throughout the day and serve as energy during exercise. Our bodies require energy to survive. Literally. Carbohydrates are your body's preferred source of energy and it becomes very taxing on your metabolism when your body has to use other sources for energy (eg. ketones derived from fat breakdown). Not only do you get the necessary energy from carbs we also get fiber which is beneficial to our gut microbiome (more on this in the future) and strengthens our GI tract.
So, eat your carbs! enjoy them!
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Until next time,
Peace, love and good health
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