Carbohydrates and Diet

Carbohydrates are very important in our diet because they give us energy. Our body uses glucose and around half of the energy that is used is needed by body tissues and muscle. We do not directly consume glycogen or glucose. We basically eat various foods that contain carbohydrates. The body is responsible for transforming carbs into glucose. A lot of people currently think that carbohydrates make us fat and this is not correct. The truth is that diet that is rich in carbohydrates and fibers and low in fat is great in order to achieve proper weight management. The best sources of carbohydrates in our diet are fruits, legumes and vegetables. They contain little fat and are also high in fibers.

Through digestion carbohydrates are broken down into molecules that are small enough for our body to properly absorb. At the end of the entire absorption process we end up with glucose. This is basically the primary substance that our body uses in order to gain energy.

The most important function that carbohydrates have is bringing us energy for all the bodily functions that need it. The energy obtained is necessary to breath, keep body temperature in control and even the contraction of our muscles and heart. In order to do the math properly we have to understand that 1 g of carbohydrates generates 4 energy calories. The problem with carbs stands in glucose. If the body does not use up all glucose it will eventually be transformed into fat or glycogen. As you can imagine, this basically means that if we take in too much we might end up with fat deposits. This is not at all a negative fact in a regular diet but when we combine this with the fat we eat we might be faced with too many fat deposits appearing. What we need to understand is that the human body needs at least 100 grams of carbs daily. Failure to do this can lead to ketosis, which is a condition that should be avoided at all costs, except when undergoing it for medical reasons. In this case it will be controlled by a doctor and we do not need to reach ketosis as it is quite dangerous on the long run.

Our diet needs to include grain foods, fruits, vegetables and legumes because these are foods that are rich in carbohydrates that are complex. We need to understand that such foods are also important because they come with various nutrients that are highly important for different other bodily functions. Any diet that contains enough complex carbohydrates is good because it prevents cancer, heart disease, intestinal disorders and diabetes while also aiding in weight management. You surely have noticed that most nutritionists out there recommend diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables while also including enough grain foods. The only real problem is that we can also take in carbohydrates from sources that are not good. This will have a negative impact on our diet. Sugar is the best possible example that can be mentioned. We should also add that simple carbohydrates are much faster transformed into sugar and processed foods must be avoided because they can contain high quantities of nutrients that are not at all needed by us. To keep it simple processed foods like candy or cakes come with a lot of calories and only small quantities of carbohydrates. A basic rule of thumb stands in always focusing on good carbohydrates in your diet while avoiding bad carbohydrates. This might seem difficult to do at first but you will see that after some time you will get the hang of it and you will avoid putting on weight that you simply do not want.