We need to take many vitamins, minerals and amino acids in order to maintain the healthiest functioning of our body, which is like a ticking machine. One of the most important of these is carbohydrates. When it comes to carbohydrates, the first thing that comes to mind for many people is weight gain – loss, but be sure, this component is vital for our body.
People are a little confused about carbohydrates because those who want to lose weight cut it completely, those who want to gain weight consume too much. Of course, both of these are wrong because our bodies work in balance and therefore we need to get a certain amount of each component throughout the day. Let’s take a closer look at what carbohydrates do and see which foods we can get the healthiest way from.
Let’s start with a basic definition; What is a carbohydrate?
Carbohydrate is one of the components considered as the main energy source for all living things. Carbohydrate, which is the general name of the most common organic components in nature, provides the basic energy necessary for many vital functions of our body, especially breathing. It is easily taken with food, it is easily broken down and the residues are quickly removed from the body.
Let’s look briefly at the types of carbohydrates according to the amount of sugar they contain:
- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
- polysaccharides
Monosaccharides:
Monosaccharides, also known as simple sugars, consist of a single sugar molecule. They easily pass through the cell membrane and dissolve in water, but cannot be digested as smaller pieces. Trioses, which are 3-carbon sugars, pentoses, which are 5-carbon sugars, galactose, fructose, glucose are examples of monosaccharides.
Disaccharides:
Disaccharides are formed when two monosaccharides react and bind with a glycoside. They cannot pass through the cell membrane without being digested, but they are soluble in water. Maltose, lactose and sucrose are some of the most important disaccharides.
Polysaccharides:
If too much glucose undergoes a reaction, complex sugars called polysaccharides are formed. Chitin, cellulose, glycogen and starch are the best-known examples. Among these, starch is considered the type of polysaccharide that people consume most often.
Okay, but what exactly are carbohydrates good for?
- It is the main source of energy and food for all living things.
- It has the ability to metabolize fats.
- It is the only known energy source of the brain.
- It is the building block of DNA and RNA nucleic acids.
- .. helps digestive system work better
- Thanks to its fibrous structure, it provides blood coagulation.
- Along with fat and protein, it is one of the most essential components for reproduction and the immune system.
- It has the feature of preventing cancer and blood diseases.
- It has the feature of protecting against diabetes.
- It allows the formation of beneficial bacteria.
- It has the feature of preventing dementia types.
Here are some of the most important functions of carbohydrates in our body. Even if we leave all its functions aside, the fact that it is our main source of energy, and moreover, the only energy source of the brain reveals how important it is for our body.
What are carbohydrates in? Here are some of the high-carb foods:
- Watermelon
- Banana
- Pineapple
- Apricot
- Pear
- Fig
- Orange
- Grape
- Sweetcorn
- cornflakes
- cereals
- Bread types
- Barley
- Wheat
- Bran
- Rice
- Date
- Raisins
- corn syrup
- muesli
- Pasta
- Granulated sugar
- Pea
- Kidney bean
- Haricot bean
- Chickpeas
- Carrot
- Potatoes
In general, high-carbohydrate foods are like this. All of these foods contain carbohydrates, but not all of them have the same nutritional value. Processed ones may be low in fiber and high in calories. Unprocessed ones may be richer in nutritional value, fiber and minerals.
But what are healthy carbohydrates?
- Potatoes
- Barley
- Quinoa
- Oat
- Rye
- Rice
- Sweetcorn
- Wheat
- all fruits
- all nuts
- Bean
- Lentil
- Pea
- Soybean
- Chickpeas
- Carrot
- Broccoli
- brown rice
- Vegetables
- Bran
This is how foods containing carbohydrates are generally considered healthier. Of course, their nutritional values may not be the same, but as long as they are not processed and mixed with additional components, these are the foods that we can get carbohydrates in the healthiest way.
Let’s eat, but how much? Here are our daily carbohydrate needs:
Of course, how much carbohydrate a person should take per day for a healthy body should be arranged according to variables such as age, gender, weight, how active he is per day, metabolic rate, but to give an average value, we need to take 900 – 1300 calories of carbohydrates every day.
Attention to those who say I do not eat carbohydrates:
People sometimes remove carbohydrates completely from their lives in order to lose weight. Of course, it is extremely important to limit foods such as pasta, bread, refined sugar, processed foods, but it is not true to say that I have completely given up carbohydrates.
People who don’t get enough carbohydrates during the day develop amino acid, fiber and B vitamins deficiencies. In addition, forgetfulness, nervous system disorders, fatigue, depression, forgetfulness can also be seen. Worse, in the long run, the risk for heart disease and cancers increases. So everything should be consumed in moderation.
Consuming the right carbohydrates is important:
We understood that carbohydrates are vital for our body. Good, but carbs also make you gain weight, we know that. If you are asking what to do, we actually gave the answer above. The answer is in healthy carbohydrates.
Almost every food you can think of has carbohydrates. Moreover, most of them contain healthy carbohydrates. If you go and buy carbohydrates with bread, pasta, sugar and even more than your daily need, of course, you will gain weight and have an unhealthy body.
So what shall we do? Of course, go eat healthy carbohydrates. Prefer rye bread instead of white bread, fruit itself instead of ready-made fruit juice, legumes instead of pasta, vegetables instead of processed products. If you exercise a little, you will be both healthy and fit.
Using carb powder is also an option:
People who do intense exercise, want to gain weight and aim to increase their volume may need to take more carbohydrates than they need during the day. As we explained in our article here before, it is possible to get a much larger amount of carbohydrates at once with carbohydrate powder.
We answered questions such as what is the use of carbohydrates, which is one of the components we need most for a healthy body, and what is there. What we describe is for informational purposes only. Do not forget that you should get the most accurate and specific information about carbohydrate consumption from a specialist physician, as in all health issues.
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