Carbohydrates are among the foods eaten by many people in large quantities. This is because of its ease of access. Many communities are large producers of carbohydrate foods. Carbohydrates are made of various elements including carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The distribution of its types depends on the length of carbons. Carbon is the backbone of other elements that make up carbohydrates. There are different types of carbohydrates. Its classification depends one the arrangements of carbons atoms. It also depends on to the length of the chain of elements connected to form that type of starch.

Carbohydrates are divided into three main groups according to the quantity or length of the carbon chain:

• Carbohydrates with short carbon chains (monosaccharides)
• Carbohydrates with minimal chain of carbons (Oligosaccharides) and
• Carbohydrates with long and complex chain (Polysaccharides)

Types of Carbohydrates

Monosaccharides: As mentioned earlier, this group of carbohydrates includes a short chain of carbons. These carbons carry other elements like hydrogen and oxygen. Its name “mono” is because it is made up of single ketone unit or aldose unit. Hence, a monosaccharide can have only one group of ketone or polyhydroxy group (aldoses). It is these characteristics that make carbohydrates in this group called simple sugar. This is because the number of carbons in its axis is from one to seven.

Types of Monosaccharides

Monosaccharides include several types. Examples include triose with three carbons. Tetrose has four carbons, pentose has five carbons, hexoses have six carbons, and heptose has seven carbons. This type of simple sugar is needed to make energy in the body. Its metabolism in the cell is easy because of its easy form. It is found in abundance in sugar cane, fruits and honey.

Oligosaccharides

This type of starch is made up of monosaccharides ranging from three to twelve connected through glycosidic bonds. Examples of these carbohydrates are malto-oligosaccharides, and other types like Galacto, human milk, maltotriose and xyloorgosaccharides. Unlike the group of monosaccharides, this group of carbohydrates is nondigestible. Its benefits in the body include antimicrobial, carcinogenic, antidiabetic, antihypersensitive, antiinflamatory and immunomodulatory properties.

This group of carbohydrates found in abundance in the some categories of vegetables, white onions, cabbage and broccoli. Also in fruits like bananas, watermelon, pears. This category of carbohydrates is also found in grains like wheat and legumes like lentils, peas and beans. It is also found in abundance in human milk. Oligosaccharides have a little sweet taste. They do not give much energy to the body because they have little energy.

Polysaccharide

This type of starch is found in a very large amount almost in all types of foods. They are called complex sugars due to their long-chain made up of many monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic bonds. Polysaccharides include cellulose, chitin, and arabinoxylans. These give strong protection for the outer covers of leaves and macro-organisms like insects. Due to the stability, these forms of carbohydrates can not be broken easily.

Polysaccharides play important physiological roles like: Antioxidant, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anticoagulation. It provides a structural support and energy storage.

Healthful Use of Carbohydrates

Recommendations for carbohydrate intake in the diet are 55 and 75 percent of total energy. Thus, carbohydrates give 1,265 to 172 kilocarolies for a diet of 2,300 calories per day for the public. Let’s remember that we must use the whole grain. This way, we can get all the nutrients in its shell and its core. Legumes, green vegetables and fruits are very healthy when consumed in their natural state.

The chaff found in starchy foods is especially important. This group of polysaccharides is a great need for the body. Minerals like zinc, magnesium, and others are stored in abundance in chaff or the husks of polysaccharides.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends keeping the consumption of foods with added sugar below 10 percent of total energy. To achieve this goal, unrefined carbohydrate foods are needed in abundance. Also remember, you should eat natural foods and not processed foods. This is to avoid the effects of refined food or added food preservatives.

Importance of Carbohydrates

The brain uses at least 20% of the energy that comes from food. And the main source of that power is simple sugar glucose. The brain uses 25% of glucose from every food we eat. Glucose is the main source of energy in cells. This group of carbohydrates is synthesized and absorbed in the blood more easily than others. And it also dissolves easily in water making it easy to use.

Monosaccharides are highly required in the body. They play an important role in mood, energy of the body. Not all processed foods are sugary except for the way they sound sugary. Due to scientific discoveries, there are alternative sugars called artificial sugars. They are synthetic chemicals with similar chemical formula of carbohydrates.

Artificial sugars give the sweetness of sugar but are not real sugars. Artificial sweeteners have the advantage of helping overweight people lose weight. They are specially made for this purpose. People with diabetes can continue to enjoy the pleasure of sugar. They can do so without getting an increase in sugar in their body. They contribute very little energy to the body and sometimes they have no energy at all. It is also used in medicine like syrups, toothpaste or very bitter pills to make it easier to swallow.

Why Should You Avoid Artificial Sweeteners or Sugar

There is a myth that artificial sugars cause cancer. Still, studies show that there is no link between cancer and the use of artificial sugars. The important thing to consider here is that there is artificial sugar. So not every drink or processed food with sugar will give you the sugar needs of the body. Avoid artificial sweeteners.

It is good to use natural sugar from natural things like fruits, sugar cane and honey. This is unless your health condition requires you to consume foods or drinks that contain artificial sugar. These health requirements include the imperative need to lose weight or diabetes.

The high consumption of sugar in drinks and processed foods is dangerous for the body’s health in general. Similarly, factory-made sugar is dangerous to health because it does not contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. It is wise and smart to eat raw food from the farm. Eating a lot of industrial sugar and foods leads to excessive weight gain. It can cause damage to the liver, pancreas, and heart. This is due to chemicals added to sugar.

Summary

We have to use abundant natural foods in their original forms. Legumes, green vegetables and fruits are very healthy when consumed in their natural state. The chaff found in starchy foods especially containing in polysaccharides is essential for the body metabolic activities. Minerals like zinc and magnesium are stored in abundance in the husks of polysaccharides.

The World Health Organization (WHO) further recommends limiting the consumption of foods with added sugar. It should be below 10 percent of the total energy intake. To achieve this goal, unrefined carbohydrate foods are needed in abundance. Also remember, you should eat natural foods and not processed foods. This is to avoid the effects of refined food or added food preservatives.