What are carbohydrates and where are they found?
Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy.
Starches are one of the types of the carbohydrates group, along with both sugars and fiber, as starches are the most common of these types, and they can be obtained from various sources, including grains and root vegetables.
Starchy foods are a good source of energy, important nutrients in the diet, and contain fiber, calcium, iron, and B vitamins, and it is worth noting that some people believe that these foods may lead to weight gain, but in fact, one gram of them It contains less than half the calories of fat.
Types of carbohydrates
Starches are classified into fast-digesting starches, slow-digesting starches, and resistant starches, and the following is a detail of these types:
Carbohydrates fast digestion
There are many fast-digesting foods, including what contains this type of starch, as this type is quickly digested and absorbed in a part of the small intestine called the duodenum, and in some other parts of the small intestine, which leads to a rise in glucose levels in the blood Fast-digesting starches are usually eaten after a bout of hypoglycemia, but this rapid and large increase in glucose levels can cause damage to cells, tissues, and organs.
Carbohydrates slow digestion
Complex or slow-digesting starches are a type that digests slowly in the small intestine, which contributes to a permanent and slow supply of glucose in the blood at the initial drop in blood sugar, thus providing energy for long periods compared to fast-digesting starches.
Carbohydrates resistance
Resistant starch is one of the starches that the body cannot digest and use as an energy source, so it crosses through the digestive system either partially or completely, and many foods contain more than one type of resistant starch, depending on how they are cooked and the time they are cooked. Ingested in it, and of these types are mentioned as follows:
Type 1: This type of starch remains stuck in the fibrous cell walls of the food that a person eats, so the body cannot digest fiber and starches, and this type is found in legumes, seeds, and grains in abundant quantities.
Type 2: This is the type of the most common species in raw foods, so as to possess a complex structure and therefore it is difficult for the body to digest, and can be found in large quantities when the banana is immature compared to eating bananas mature completely.
Type 3: This is the very kind of resistance, which is made up during the heating starchy foods, then cooled, such as rice, potatoes, as cooling leads after cooking to Some carbs can be converted to severe starch resistance.
Type 4: This type of modified starches is resistant and is manufactured entirely.
Type 5: It is a type of starch that is linked to a type of fat, which leads to a change in its structure, and thus becomes more resistant to digestion.
Carbohydrate-free foods
There are a group of foods that are considered free of starch, and they are as follows:
- Meat: Meat carbs can't or only have a limited quantity of them, and some of these varieties of meat come with the following:
- The chicken.
- The turkey.
- Skinless white meat.
healthy fats: The following foodstuffs contain between 50 to 120 calories and 4 to 8 grams of fat, but they lack the presence of carbohydrates in them, and they are as follows:
- Olive oil, vegetable oil.
- Peanut Butter.
- Salad dressing such as a mixture of vinegar and oil.
- avocado.
Other foods, including the following:
- Cottage cheese, regular and low-fat.
- eggs.
- Salami.
- sausage.
Should the abolition of carbohydrates when following the diet to lose weight?
Many people wonder what carbohydrates increase weight! And in fact, reducing the consumption of good and bad sources of carbohydrates can reduce the number of calories consumed, which may reduce weight. These foods tend to contain large amounts of protein and fat to compensate for the lack of carbohydrates, and since carbohydrates are the main source of energy in the body, reducing their consumption leads to the body using fat and protein as an alternative source of energy.
It is worth mentioning that there are a number of low-carbohydrate diets, which lead to weight loss quickly, but they are harsh systems and can cause some side effects of unwanted.