Nutrition: Carbohydrates in Food

Overview
Calories in your diet come from carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Rift Gold Carbohydrates supply four calories for every gram of carbohydrate consumed and are an important part of the diet. Carbohydrates can be found in many different food sources and provide energy which the human body can use quickly. Eating too many carbohydrates, on the other hand, can be bad for your health.

Carbohydrate Types
All carbohydrates are essentially made up of one or more sugar molecules chemically linked together. There are two main kinds of carbohydrates from your diet: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates come in the form of monosaccharides or disaccharides, depending on whether they contain one or two sugar molecules. RIFT Platinum Complex carbohydrates are larger and contain many different sugar molecules linked together -- for example, starch and glycogen are two common complex carbohydrates.

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Carbohydrates and Glucose
Carbohydrates are fairly rapidly broken down by your digestive tract into monosaccharides. Your body then converts these sugar molecules into glucose, which gets into the blood. Different types of carbohydrates are converted into glucose at different rates, which can be measured using the glycemic index. rift gold The higher the glycemic index, the faster the carbohydrates in a food are turned into blood glucose. When blood glucose levels rise, your pancreas secretes a hormone known as insulin, KidsHealth.org notes. Insulin causes your muscle, fat and liver cells to pull up excess sugar from the blood.

Carbohydrate and Diet
According to the Mayo Clinic, between 45 and 65 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates. If you are consuming 2,000 calories per day, this translates to between 900 and 1,300 calories from carbohydrates each day, or 225 to 325 grams of carbohydrates. RIFT Platinum Consuming more than this can cause your blood glucose levels to get too high, which can cause you to develop type 2 diabetes. High carbohydrate intake can also lead to high levels of triglycerides, a type of fat that can predispose you to cardiovascular problems.

Fiber
Fiber is a unique type of carbohydrate found in foods that come from plants. TERA Gold Your body cannot break down and absorb fiber, so this type of carbohydrate passes through your digestive tract unchanged. Soluble fiber dissolves in water to form a gel-like substance; foods with this type of fiber can lower your blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Insoluble fiber, on the other hand, adds bulk to your stools and relieves constipation.