A healthy and properly balanced diet should include three main macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Quite often, however, you can come across opinions that the first of these is a direct cause of the obesity epidemic, and if consumed in excess, it may lead to the development of some chronic diseases. How does it look in practice? What are carbohydrates? What are the functions of carbohydrates? Are carbohydrates healthy? We answer these and other questions below.
Since there is so much talk about the negative effects of consuming them, are carbohydrates necessary? Or maybe it's better to just completely eliminate this macronutrient from the diet? There are many diets that limit its amount or exclude it. Well, we can now say that carbohydrates in our diet are necessary and, contrary to popular opinion, they are not a direct cause of problems with maintaining proper body weight. The bad press this macronutrient has received is the result of problems faced by people who consume it in excess and in an unselected manner.
Carbohydrates, what are they?
When listing the main ingredients of a properly composed menu, carbohydrates will come first. What is that? This term covers organic compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen, which are absolutely necessary to maintain life processes. This is due to the fact that carbohydrates are the main source of energy for the body.
So much for the general definition. Now let's consider the detailed breakdown of carbohydrates. Due to their structure, they should be divided into:
- simple carbohydrates,
- complex carbohydrates.
The first of these are monosaccharides, i.e. monosaccharides. This group includes, among others: the well-known glucose and fructose. Complex carbohydrates include disaccharides such as lactose and sucrose, oligosaccharides such as raffinose, and polysaccharides such as starch.
Not only the structure, but also the digestion of carbohydrates determines their division. In the context of their susceptibility to the action of digestive enzymes, we distinguish indigestible and digestible carbohydrates. The first of these, being a component of dietary fiber, are not digested in the digestive tract and undergo partial fermentation only in the large intestine. These include, among others: cellulose, pectins and hemicellulose.
Digestible carbohydrates are digested and absorbed in the small intestine. This property determines their energy potential.
Bioavailable carbohydrates, examples:
- glucose,
- fructose,
- starch.
Functions of carbohydrates, what role do they play in the body?
The macronutrient in question is the basic energy substrate. The role of carbohydrates in the body is therefore energetic: they are the main fuel for muscle tissue and all internal organs. Importantly, the body does not use them only to cover current processes. Stored as muscle glycogen, they are used during exercise. As liver glycogen, they regulate blood glucose concentration between meals when there is a deficit in their supply in the diet. When consumed in amounts greater than the individual demand for carbohydrates, they are converted into fat tissue.
However, it should be emphasized that the energy function is not the only one they perform. What do carbohydrates provide other than energy? They take part in the metabolism of fats, participate in the production of amino acids, together with proteins they form components of the immune system, they are necessary to maintain the good condition of nails, hair, skin, and also tendons and cartilage tissue.
We cannot forget about the function of non-digestible carbohydrates. These have no energy potential. They are not digested or absorbed in the small intestine, so they do not participate in energy production. This does not mean, however, that the importance of non-digestible carbohydrates is non-existent. On the contrary, this important ingredient significantly influences the gastrointestinal transit time. Thanks to this, it helps to remove food deposits, reduce pressure in the abdominal cavity (and thus reduce the risk of hemorrhoidal disease). Additionally, there is evidence that a diet high in fiber may reduce the risk of certain cancers.
Are carbohydrates healthy?
As you can see, carbohydrates are necessary for life, but are they healthy? There is no clear answer to this question. You should know that not only the deficiency, but also the excess of this macronutrient in the diet has a negative impact on the body.
If consumed in excessive amounts, they may contribute to the deposition of fat tissue, resulting in overweight or obesity. It is impossible not to mention the associated risk of serious diseases: atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
What carbohydrates should you avoid?
The greatest risk comes from excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates, which are quickly digested. This causes them to release energy rapidly, followed by a rapid decline in energy. This is accompanied by significant fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
Complex carbohydrates digest slowly. They release energy for a long time and do not influence glucose level fluctuations to such a large extent. This makes them more valuable, especially since products rich in complex carbohydrates also contain fiber.
What carbohydrates should you avoid? In a healthy diet, you should limit the share of simple carbohydrates in favor of complex ones.
Sources of carbohydrates, in what products can you look for them?
The sources of complex carbohydrates are primarily whole grain products: groats, whole grain bread and pasta, cereal flakes, as well as legume seeds and some vegetables. Simple carbohydrates are mainly found in all products made from white flour (including white bread and pasta, confectionery), products containing added sugar, fruit (containing fructose) and some vegetables.
The greatest risk comes from excessive consumption of simple carbohydrates, which are quickly digested. This causes them to release energy rapidly, followed by a rapid decline in energy. This is accompanied by significant fluctuations in blood glucose levels.
Complex carbohydrates digest slowly. They release energy for a long time and do not influence glucose level fluctuations to such a large extent. This makes them more valuable, especially since products rich in complex carbohydrates also contain fiber.
Carbohydrates in the diet, how to ensure their proper balance?
The body's need for carbohydrates depends on many factors. Here it is necessary to mention, among others: on age, health condition, physiological condition and level of physical activity. According to specialists, their average daily share in an adult's diet should range from 45% to 65% of the energy supplied.
Balancing meals on your own so that they can adequately cover our energy needs is not an easy task. Fortunately, this is wherequick ready-made meals from eatyx come to the rescue.
Let's take as an example eatyx COMPLETE HOT MEAL GREAT WITH MUSHROOMS AND VEGETABLES . One filling portion provides 26 g of valuable carbohydrates and 10.8 g of fiber, as well as proteins and fats in appropriate concentrations. Another example, eatyx COMPLETE HOT MEAL, RICE WITH VEGE CHICKEN AND VEGETABLES . One serving of a complete meal provides 35.6 g of carbohydrates and 9.1 g of fiber. Something for people who need even more energy from their diet? Here you go: eatyx COMPLETE HOT MEAL, ITALIAN STYLE PASTA . The delicious dish contains 41.3 g of this macronutrient and 9.3 g of fiber.
