How to Read Food Labels: Carbohydrates

Let's talk carbs...we always hear about how bad they are, but they are actually our body's first source of energy! Carbohydrates serve as an immediate energy source and are actually sugars. There are two types of carbs: simple and complex. The difference between simple and complex carbs is the number of sugar molecules in the carbohydrate. A simplex carbohydrate (aka simple sugar) is made of only a few sugar molecules (i.e. glucose, fructose, galactose, sucrose) whereas a complex carbohydrate is made of several simple sugars. Examples of simple sugars are table sugar (sucrose), and an example of a complex carb is glycogen (a chain of 100 glucose molecules).

Since carbs are our immediate energy source it is important that they stay in our diets in recommended amounts. The recommended daily intake for carbohydrates is approximately 130 grams (I say approximately, because 130 grams are for those who are not working out much). These carbohydrate grams should come from whole grain sources versus refined sources (see the TOTD discussing the importance of using whole grains on Friday, April 16th). Not only are carbohydrates an important energy source, but also an important source of fiber! Get excited...we are going to discuss fiber tomorrow!!!

One last thing that is important to remember is that diabetes is directly related to carbohydrates. Blood sugar is a count of the amount of glucose (glucose is the smallest molecule that a carbohydrate is broken down into) in the blood stream (high blood sugar means a high number of glucose in the blood). Diabetes is the condition in which there is high blood sugar levels and not enough insulin to use all the sugar. Type II Diabetes is an epidemic right now in the United States, so it is sooo important that we watch the types of carbohydrates that we are ingesting and giving to ourselves and our families.