Topic 7 (Carbohydrate (macronutrient)) Flashcards
What are carbohydrates?
- The major source of energy in the body
- An important macronutrient formed from carbon hydrogen and oxygen
What are the two types of carbohydrates?
- Sugar
- Complex carbohydrates
What are the functions of carbohydrates in the diet?
- Energy for physical activity
- Energy to maintain bodily functions
- Dietary fibre to help digestion
- Sugars sweeten and flavour food
What are sugars?
- Simple units all carbohydrates are made of
What are the two types of simple sugars?
- Monosaccharides
- Disaccharides
What is a monosaccharide?
- Simple sugars
- Quickly absorbed in the body
- Faster energy provided
What are the types of monosaccharides?
- Glucose
- Fructose
- Galactose
What is glucose?
- Simple sugar
- Found in some fruits and vegetables
- Usually used by athletes in tablet form to provide fast energy boost
What is fructose?
- Found in the juices of some fruit and plants but mainly in honey
- Sweetest of all sugars
- Manufacturers use a lower amount but provide same sweetness as sucrose
What is galactose?
- Formed during digestion of lactose
What is a disaccharide?
- Double sugars made up of two monosaccharides
What other types of disaccharides?
- Lactose
- Maltose
- Sucrose
What is lactose?
- Found in milk
- Thought to give milk its sweet taste
What is maltose?
- Results from the fermentation of cereal grains
What is sucrose?
- Most common disaccharide
- Known as sugar
- Provides energy nothing else good
- Comes from sugar cane
- Bought as granulated sugar, brown sugar, icing sugar…
What are the sources of sugar?
- Non-free sugar (found naturally in the cells of fruit and vegetables)
- Free sugar (sugar that can be seen like cane sugar)
What are the problems related to sucrose?
- Obesity
- Tooth decay
- Type 2 diabetes
What a polysaccharides?
- Complex carbohydrate
- Formed form hundreds of glucose molecules
- Provide body with energy
What are starches?
- Take longer to digest than sugars
- Provide feeling of fullness, avoid obesity and overeating
- Comes from plant sources
- 1/3rd of our daily food
What are the functions of starch in the diet?
- Provide energy
- Add bulk to diet
- Feeling of full
- Access converted to fat
What are sources of starch?
- Bread
- Rice
- Cereals
- Pasta
- Some fruit + Vegetables
What happens when you have a deficiency / too much of carbohydrates?
- Too much: Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Coronary heart disease, Diabetes and Dental problems
- Deficiency : Need energy, takes from protine
what is fibre / non-starch polysaccharide?
- Non digestible cellulose found in plant foods
- Cannot be digestive
- Absorbs moisture, provides bulk
What is dietary fibre?
- Material from plants
- Not digested by humans
- Absorbs water
- Binds other residues in the intestine
- Aiding the excretion of waste material from the body
Age group:
2-5
5-11
11-16
17+
How much fibre a day?
2-5 = 15g
5-11 = 20g
11-16 = 25g
17+ = 30g
What are the functions of dietary fibre?
- Holds water and keeps the faeces soft and bulky
- Prevent bowel disorders including constipation, cancer and diverticular disease (disease caused by lack of fibre in diet)
- Help control body weight as filling
- Lower blood cholesterol
What happens when you have a deficiency of fibre?
- Constipation
- Diverticular disease (lining of intestine becomes distorted and inflamed)
What are sources of insoluble fibre in the diet?
- Wholemeal flour
- Whole grain breakfast cereals and pasta
- Brown rice
- Fruit and vegetables
What are sources of soluble fibre?
- Oats
- Peas beans and lentils
- Fruits and vegetables
What is insoluble and soluble fibre?
Soluble fibre - slows down digestion and absorption of carbohydrates
Insoluble fibre - absorbs water and increases bulk
