LO 1 - Class 2 Flashcards
What is the chemical makeup of a carbohydrate?
Carbon + hydrogen + oxygen
What are your sources of carbohydrates?
Typically only plant foods, milk is the only exception
Carbohydrates are the _______ burning micronutrients, providing _______ mental and physical energy requiring ______ digestion
- Fastest/cleanest
- Virtually instant
- Little or no
______ is the storage form of carbohydrates
Glycogen followed by fat
What is the ideal percentage of your diet to come from carbohydrates?
50% (maybe higher for athletes and vegetarians)
Describe carbohydrate deficiency
Very rare unless in starvation mode however, temporary drops and blood glucose are possible
Describe what happens to the body in excess of carbohydrates
Can give rise to type 2 diabetes, obesity, mood swings, candidiasis, dental caries
What do polysaccharides consist of?
Starch and fiber
What are three examples of monosaccharides?
- Glucose (blood sugar)
- Fructose
- Galactose
Give three examples of disaccharides
- Lactose
- Sucrose (table sugar)
- Maltose
What are the benefits of dietary fiber?
- Helps speed transit time of residue through the body
- Helps stabilize blood sugar levels by slowing down the rapid conversion of carbohydrates into sugar
- Soluble fiber has been shown to reduce LDL or “bad” cholesterol
________ is the indigestible portion of plant food that our bodies cannot break down
Dietary fiber
What is soluble fiber?
- They have a gel forming ability that helps delay gastric emptying
- Effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels
- E.g. pectin’s, gums, psyllium
- Sources include oats, lentils, apples, nuts, flax seeds
Describe insoluble fiber
- Does not dissolve in water
- Have a laxative effect
- Add bulk to the diet
- Helps speed up the process of waste removal from the body
- Sources include whole wheat, whole grains, root vegetables and skins, barley, brown rice
Describe the function of carbohydrates
- Provide fast and efficient fuel
- Our digestive systems handle all carbohydrates and much the same way - it eventually breaks them down, except for indigestible fibers, into glucose in the bloodstream
- The end product of carbohydrate metabolism is glucose - a simple sugar that fuels the body
We can measure the rate at which a carbohydrate raises blood sugar levels through the ________
Glycemic index (GI)
Instead of avoiding carbohydrates, we need to focus on ________ carbohydrates and minimize our intake of ________
- Low glycemic index
- Simple sugars
What are the advantages of simple sugars
- Clean burning, fast, efficient fuel
- Appropriate for periods of high intensity exercise to counter hypoglycemia
What are the disadvantages of simple sugars?
- Higher cariogenicity than polysaccharides
What is the macronutrient breakdown of a healthy plate?
- Half a plate of carbohydrates (fruits and vegetables)
- A quarter plate of protein
- A quarter plate of whole grains
Many diets encourage the diminishment of carbohydrates as a weight loss strategy, however the DraStic reduction in carbohydrates can give rise to health problems such as…
- Nutrient deficiencies - lack of B vitamins, iron, and notably fiber
- Bouts of hypoglycemia
What are the main takeaways you need to understand about sugar?
- We need it - normal levels of sugar consumption is not thought to contribute to health problems
- The world Health organization states that are sugar consumption should be limited to 25 g of sugar per day (equal to 6 teaspoons)
- These recommendations are put in place to help lower the risk of obesity and dental decay
- This is less about intrinsic sugars - the sugars that are naturally occurring in plants