What are Carbohydrates ?One should meet 50 to 60 percent of total calories from carbohydrate foods.

What are Carbohydrates ?One should meet 50 to 60 percent of total calories from carbohydrate foods. 

Carbohydrates occupy the major portion of our daily diet. Foods containing carbohydrates are cheaper than other foods. They are the main sources of heat and energy for our body.

Formation of Carbohydrates/What are Carbohydrates?/What are Carbs?

Carbohydrates are compounds which contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen as their basic elements. Carbohydrates are called 'Hydrates of Carbon' since they carry hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio of 2:1 respectively just as water does. Thus we can say that any compound containing hydrogen and oxygen in the ratio of 2: 1 can be termed as carbohydrate.

Classificationof Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are classified, based on the number of saccharide goups in them:
1. Monosaccharides

2. Disaccharides

3. Polysaccharides

1.Monosaccharides:

Carbohydrates formed by a single simple carbohydrate molecule are termed as monosaccharides. On hydrolysis or by digestion, monosaccharides cannot be simplified as they are the simple form of carbohydrates. In human nutrition only hexoses are of importance. The three monosaccharides of hexose group are glucose, fructose and galactose.

a.Glucose:

The most common simple carbohydrate is glucose. It is present in fruits, cereals and honey.

b.Fructose:

Fructose known as fruit sugar is found in honey, ripe fruits and in very few vegetables.

c.Galactose:

Galactose is not present in nature. It is present only in milk sugar lactose; on hydrolysis lactose yields galactose and glucose.

2.Disaccharides:

They are complex sugars with two saccharide groups and are formed by the condensation of two monosaccharides. Commonly found disaccharides are sucrose, lactose and maltose.

a.Sucrose:

Sucrose, otherwise known as invert sugar, is present in sugarcane, beetroot and in many fruits and vegetables, and honey. Either by hydrolysis or by enzyme action it is simplified into one molecule of glucose and fructose.

b.Lactose:

Lactose is also known as milk sugar and contains glucose and galactose.

c.Maltose:

Maltose or malt sugar is a disaccharide which contains two molecules of glucose.Starch is converted to maltose before breaking down into glucose.

3.Polysaccharides

On hydrolysis polysaccharides are simplified into large complex molecules of monosaccharides. Several hundreds of glucose units are linked together in polysaccharides. Starch, glycogen and cellulose are the common forms of polysaccharides.

a.Starch:

Starch is the main source of nourishment for human race. Plants store carbohydrates in the forn of starch. All starches are broken down into glucose in the digestive system. Rice, wheat, potato, tapioca, cassava, etc. contain considerable amount of starch. By hydrolysis with different enzymes they produce glucose in the body. It is not available in animals.
Starch-——> Glucose n + Glucose n Here, n means lots of molecules

b.Glycogen:

Glycogen can be described as the animal starch as it is in this form animals store carbohydrate in the body. It is not found in plants. When we fast for long or do continuous hard labor glycogen is broken down into glucose to meet the immediate need of energy for the body.
Glycogen———> lots of glucose molecules

c.Cellulose:

More than 3,000 glucose units are there in cellulose. It is found only in plants and not of human utilization. Our body cannot split cellulose due to the absence of necessary enzyme. It has an important role in defecation. Cereals, such as rice, wheat, barley, chick-pea, etc. and the outer most cover of vegetables contain cellulose.

Sources of Carbohydrates/Carbs Food/List of Carbs/Examples of Carbohydes/What Foods Have Carbsor Carbohydrates

The following foods are arranged according to the amount of carbohydrates in them (from larger amount to smaller amount).

Rice Rich in Carbohydrates

●Sugar, candies, chocolates, sweetmeats.

●Sago, arrowroot

●Rice, maize, barley, wheat.

●Potatoes.
●Dry fruits, e.g. dates, raisin, etc.

●Lentil, soybean, nuts.

●Fresh fruits, e.g. grape, banana, apple, mango, jackfruit, pineapple, etc.

●Green vegetables, e.g. spinach, cabbage,  pumpkin etc. 

One should meet 50 to 60 percent of total calories from carbohydrate foods. 

Functions of Carbohydrates:

1.The most important function of carbohydrate is to supply energy or fuel for the body. 'Ihus it is called as body fuel. 4 kcal enery is produced by 1 gm of carbohydrate.

2.Carbohydrates prevent ketosis by sparing fats from extreme burning.

3.If carbohydrate supply is enough in the diet, protein is spared for important functions of it This effect exerted by carbohydrate is called protein-sparing effect.

4.In the presence of carbohydrate a certain kind of organism produces vitamin 'K' and vitamin 'B' in the intestine.

5.Cellulose prevents constipation. Liver is protected against bacterial toxins by producing glucuronic acid or acetyl groups from carbohydrates. 'Ihus carbohydrates have protective and detoxifying  in liver.

6.Nervous tissues use glucose as the sole element for their energy.

7.Helps to consume protein, vitamins and minerals.

8.Prevents foods containing partially incomplete protein to produce heat, as a result protein is not consumed. It is called protein sparing action.

Symptoms of Carbohydrate Deficiency:

1.Production of heat and energy reduces when carbohydrate becomes deficient in our body.

2.Constipation becomes a common problem when we avoid cellulose in our diet.

Read More:Proteins |Nutrients of Food