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Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application: Introduction to Carbohydrates

Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application
Introduction to Carbohydrates
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table of contents
  1. Cover
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Table Of Contents
  5. Introduction
  6. About the Authors
  7. Acknowledgements
  8. Updates Made to OER
  9. Unit 1 – Designing A Healthy Diet
    1. Introduction to Designing a Healthy Diet
    2. Nutrition and Health
    3. An Introduction to Molecules
    4. Classification of Nutrients
    5. Defining Nutrient Requirements: Dietary Reference Intakes
    6. Understanding Food Labels
    7. Tools for Achieving a Healthy Diet
  10. Unit 2 — Nutrition Science and Information Literacy
    1. Introduction to Nutrition Science and Information Literacy
    2. The Scientific Method
    3. Types of Research Studies and How To Interpret Them
    4. Healthy Skepticism in Nutrition Science
    5. Fact-Checking Online Health and Nutrition Information
    6. Who Are the Experts in Nutrition Science?
    7. Finding Accurate Sources of Health and Nutrition Information
  11. Unit 3 – Molecules of Life: Photosynthesis, Digestion, and Metabolism
    1. Introduction to Molecules of Life
    2. Organization of Life
    3. Photosynthesis and Metabolism
    4. The Digestive System
    5. Disorders of the GI Tract
    6. Food Intolerances, Allergies, and Celiac Disease
  12. Unit 4- Carbohydrates
    1. Introduction to Carbohydrates
    2. Types of Carbohydrates
    3. Carbohydrate Food Sources and Guidelines for Intake
    4. Digestion and Absorption of Carbohydrates
    5. Glucose Regulation and Utilization in the Body
    6. Fiber – Types, Food Sources, Health Benefits, and Whole Versus Refined Grains
    7. Sugar: Food Sources, Health Implications, and Label-Reading
    8. Sugar Substitutes
  13. Unit 5- Lipids
    1. Introduction to Lipids
    2. The Functions of Fats
    3. Lipid Types and Structures
    4. Fatty Acid Types and Food Sources
    5. Digestion and Absorption of Lipids
    6. Lipid Transport, Storage, and Utilization
    7. Lipid Recommendations and Heart Health
  14. Unit 6- Protein
    1. Introduction to Protein
    2. Protein Structure
    3. Protein Functions
    4. Protein in Foods and Dietary Recommendations
    5. Protein Digestion and Absorption
    6. Health Consequences of Too Little and Too Much Dietary Protein
    7. Protein Food Choices and Sustainability
  15. Unit 7 — Body Weight and Health
    1. Introduction to Body Weight and Health
    2. Energy Balance: Energy In, Energy Out—Yet Not As Simple As It Seems
    3. Measures of Body Size, Body Composition, and Metabolic Health
    4. Risks of Too Little and Too Much Body Fat
    5. Eating Disorders
    6. Complex Causes of Excess Weight
    7. Solutions for Improving Health
  16. Unit 8 – Vitamins and Minerals Part 1
    1. Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals
    2. Vitamins Important for Vision
    3. Vitamins and Minerals as Antioxidants
    4. Dietary Supplements
    5. Sources of Vitamins and Minerals
    6. Classification of Vitamins and Minerals
    7. Vitamins and Minerals Involved In Fluid And Electrolyte Balance
  17. Unit 9 – Vitamins and Minerals Part 2
    1. Introduction to Vitamins and Minerals Part 2
    2. Vitamins and Minerals Involved in Energy Metabolism
    3. Introduction to Bone Health
    4. Other Minerals Important to Bone Health
    5. Vitamin D: Important to Bone Health and Beyond
    6. Vitamins and Minerals Involved in Blood Health
    7. Calcium: Critical for Bones and Throughout the Body
  18. Unit 10 — Nutrition and Physical Activity
    1. Introduction to Nutrition and Physical Activity
    2. Essential Elements and Benefits of Physical Fitness
    3. Fuel Sources for Exercise
    4. Nutrient Needs of Athletes
  19. Unit 11 — Nutrition Throughout the Lifespan
    1. Introduction to Nutrition Throughout the Lifecycle
    2. Nutrition in Pregnancy and Lactation
    3. Nutrition in Early Infancy
    4. Nutrition in Later Infancy and Toddlerhood
    5. Raising Healthy Eaters
    6. Nutrition in Adolescence
    7. Nutrition in Older Adults
  20. Glossary

Introduction to Carbohydrates

If someone says to you, “I love carbohydrates, and I eat them all day long!” what would you assume they’re eating?

Do you picture this?

Photos of carbohydrate-rich snack foods, from left to right: potato chips, bowl of M & M's, and a pastry dusted in powdered sugar.

Figure 4.1. Examples of carbohydrate-rich snack foods.

And this?

Photos of grain-based foods, from left to right: a display of bread in a bakery, a plate of spaghetti with sauce, and a bowl of plain rice topped with herbs.

Figure 4.2. Examples of grain-based foods.

When we ask this question in class, most students describe foods like the ones above. However, carbohydrates are found not just in grains, or in sweets and processed foods, but in every food group.

In fact, carbohydrates are the most abundant nutrient (except water) in the diets of most humans around the world. Since the dawn of agriculture, human cultures have relied on staple grains, such as corn, rice, and wheat, as the foundation of their diets, and these foods are rich in carbohydrates. But fruits and vegetables, dairy products, legumes, and nuts also have naturally-occurring carbohydrates. And of course, carbohydrates are a key ingredient in desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, and many of the packaged snack foods that are readily available and—let’s face it—can be hard to stop eating.

In other words, if someone says they eat a high carbohydrate diet, that could mean many different things. They very well could be talking about a balanced diet focused on whole foods, like this:

3 photos of whole food sources of carbohydrates, from left to right: a fruit bowl with apples, peaches, and oranges; an assortment of grains and legumes, including lentils, rice, and peanuts; and an assortment of cheeses cut into small pieces.

Figure 4.3. Examples of whole foods containing carbohydrates, including fresh fruit, legumes and grains, and cheese.

The diet industry likes to sell us simple messages about “good” and “bad” foods, and these days, we tend to hear that carbohydrates are in the “bad” group. But given that carbohydrates are in so many different types of foods, that’s obviously an oversimplified message—and it’s not fair to all of the awesome sources of carbohydrates in the world of food. Not all carbohydrate-rich foods are the same. In this unit, you’ll learn to appreciate the nutrient-dense carbohydrate foods, identify which don’t offer as valuable a nutritional package, and understand how a balanced diet can include all of them.

Unit Learning Objectives

After completing this unit, you should be able to:

  1. Classify the different types of carbohydrates, identify their food sources, and discuss how these carbohydrates are digested and absorbed in the body.
  2. Define the guidelines for total carbohydrate, fiber, and added sugar intake.
  3. Explain how glucose is regulated and utilized in the body and describe how the body adapts to a low carbohydrate intake.
  4. List the causes, complications, and treatment for different types of diabetes.
  5. Describe the health benefits, types of, and food sources of dietary fiber.
  6. Differentiate between whole and refined grains in foods by examining food labels.
  7. Distinguish between added and natural-occurring sugars in foods, and discuss health implications of too much added sugar.
  8. Identify sugar substitutes in foods, and describe potential benefits and drawbacks of sugar substitutes.

Image Credits:

  • Figure 4.1.”Potato chips” by Kate Ter Haar is licensed under CC BY 2.0; “M&Ms” by Wade Brooks is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0; “Pecan pastry”  by Artizone is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
  • Figure 4.2. “Bread” by David Stewart is licensed under CC BY 2.0; “Pasta” by Yasumari SASAKI is licensed under CC BY 2.0; “Rice” by Francesca Nocella is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0, .
  • Figure 4.3. “Assorted Fruit Bowl” by Allen Gottfried is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0; “Schalen mit verschiedenen Getreidesorten wie Reis, Hirse, Linsen, Erbsen und Buchweizen” by Marco Verch is licensed under CC BY 2.0; “Cheese” by Finite Focus is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

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Types of Carbohydrates
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Kinesiology, Nutrition, and Fitness

Copyright © 2020

            Nutrition: Science and Everyday Application Copyright © 2020 by Alice Callahan, PhD; Heather Leonard, MEd, RDN; and Tamberly Powell, MS, RDN is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
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