Carbohydrates

Along with proteins and fats, carbohydrates make up the three basic components of food.  Carbohydrates are organic molecules, meaning that they contain carbon and come from living sources.  Usually when you hear the word carbohydrate, the first thing that comes to your mind is: BREADS, CEREALS, CAKES, COOKIES, am I right? There are 2 different types of carbohydrates: SIMPLE AND COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES. 
SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES: sometimes called sugars include fructose, sucrose, lactose as well as several others.  These are those carbohydrates you think of breads, cereals, cakes and cookies. 
COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: made up of simple sugars but sugar molecules are strung together to form longer, more complex chains meaning it will take longer to breakdown in the body avoiding blood sugar spikes. Foods rich in complex carbs include: fruit, vegetables, peas, grains and beans.
Carbohydrates are the main source of blood glucose, which is the major fuel for all the body’s cells and the only source of energy for the brain and red blood cells.
Complex carbohydrate will provide enough fibre for the body to utilize and eliminate effectively.
The best sources of dietary fibre is fruits and vegetables especially the dark leafy greens, and cruciferous (cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts) vegetables.  Dietary fibre is resistant to body’s digestive enzymes which means only small amounts is digested or metabolized in the intestines.
Most of our dietary fibre moves through the gastrointestinal tract and ends up in the stool
Although fibre is not digested, it delivers several important health benefits that include:
It retains water and softens stools Reduces risk of colon cancer Binds with certain substances that would normally result in the production of toxins and eliminates these substances from body Soluble fibre: broken down in the large intestines (colon)
Insoluble fibre: not digested and simply excreted in the stool
50-60% daily diet should be complex carbohydrates
Whole grains are better than highly processed ones.
The best way to consume your carbohydrates are with fruit such as apples, blueberries, pears, bananas, oranges, grapes, lemons, limes, pineapples, mangoes and papayas ect.
Or vegetables such as spinach, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, peas, swiss chard, celery, Brussel sprouts ect.
Basically, anything that can be grown in the grown or picked from a tree is an excellent source of carbohydrates. 
Carbohydrate digestion occurs in the gastrointestinal tract by various enzymes for absorption into the blood.  The blood circulates to the liver, where fructose and galactose are easily converted into glucose: the main fuel for body to use as energy. 
A healthy liver regulates the use of glucose by allowing certain levels to circulate into the blood for the body to use in its cells.  If the carbohydrate intake is higher than the body needs, the liver then converts the glucose into glycogen and stores it either in the liver or muscles until needed.  If at the time glucose is needed for energy and there is no dietary carbohydrate available, the liver then converts the glycogen back to glucose and returns it to the bloodstream where it is transported through the body where it is needed.  If it is stored in the muscles, the glycogen is directly used for energy.  If we consume more carbohydrates than is needed, and there is already sufficient amount in storage, the liver then converts the excess into fatty acids and then triglycerides that can be stored as body fat, a process called: lipogenesis.
If carbohydrates, in the simple form, are consumed in high quantities on a regular basis by a person with a sedentary lifestyle, that is when weight gain occurs.  Which is why it is very important to consume your carbohydrates in the complex variety as not only are you fueling your body with the glucose the brain needs, but each fruit and vegetable is packed with essential vitamins and minerals that are the most bioavailable to the body, meaning that they are easy to absorb. 
Tune in tomorrow when we continue our journey through the nutrients starting with the fat-soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K.