What did you have for dinner last night, or lunch the day before? Oh wait, don't say it and let me guess: carbs, carbs, and more carbs. Some people might think, well hello that is what almost all foods contain ,but that is not the problem here . Of course we eat everyday and most of us acknowledge the fact that a large percentage of our meals are carbohydates, but we are rather ignorant to what carbohydrates actually are and what their function is in our body. You try asking the average person what carbohydrates are and I can bet you their response will likely go as follows: "Um well they're like things in our food that like gives us energy and I think they're like bad for us. Don't they also make us fat as well?". This is very disappointing and oh as the saying goes "Don't eat what you don't know".This should honestly be the punishment for those who don't know what carbohydrates are, just starve them to death till their brains eventually decide to comprehend carbohydrates. Imagine how many people will starve to death, ha! Funny ? ... no? Well I thought it was funny, strange joke I suppose. Anyways, the question becomes what are carbohydrates , where in the world do they come from ? what do carbohydrates do and why are they so important to us humans and can there be unhealthy carbohydrates ?
Carbohydrates comes from variety of foods, it is usually stored in plants such as grains, flours, potatoes, pasta, and as suprising as it sounds , they also come from fruits and vegetables. To create energy- providing carbohydrates from non- energy providing molecules water and carbon dioxide is a limited to plants and very few bacteria. through photosynthesis, these life forms are able to join carbon dioxide and water by harnessing solar energy, oxygen is also a product of this reaction. Humans are unable to perform photosyntheis, so we have to acquire them from plants in form of calories . Carbohydrates are easier to break down unlike other macromolecules and they are better sources of quick energy.
Carbohydrates are classified as simple and complex. The monomer or building block of carbs is a monosaccharide , also called a simple sugar. monosaccharides bond together through the process of condensation, where water is taken out , then form complex sugars that can be either disaccharides or polysaccharides. Disaccharides are made of only two monosaccharides , while polysaccharides are composed of multiple monosaccharides. like all things married, complex sugars can be broken apart through a process called hydolysis , where water is added to the complex sugars and the bonds are broken apart .
Carbohydrates are important to humans for various reasons, some of which are : supply of dietary fiber , provison of fuel for the muscular and nervous system ,and of the supply of energy stored in the form of glycogen in the liver. As much good it is that carbs can do all these things for our bodies, there are also some that are dangerous for us. Unhealthy carbs are easily broken down into sugar, causing in flunctuations in blood sugar level, they are also associated with weight gain. foods such as soft drinks, desserts, white potatoes, ferined floor food are bad carbs.unhealthy carbs are the most tempting ones and are hardest to stay away from, now that it is obvious that they are bad carbohydrates , how do you think we can control eating unhealthy carbohydrates ?
This video clears a certain misconception most people have about carbs
sources
http://www.thenutritiondr.com/carbohydrates-natural-food-sources-carbohydrate-types-monosaccharides-starch-fibers/http://www.rawfoodexplained.com/carbohydrates/the-role-of-carbohydrates-in-the-body.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/508783-unhealthy-carbohydrates/
http://health-club.org/foods-rich-carbohydrates
I think humans just need to be more aware of what they eat and actually care about what they put into their bodies. Most people really need even think twice about what they eat and that is where they go wrong. They aren't aware of how bad certain foods actually are for you. Also, some people were never given a health class or biology class that taught them about nutrition, which is a major issue as well.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree Savannah. A lot of people are unaware about the actual nutritional content of their meals. What other methods could we take that may increase public nutritional knowledge? However I find it hard to believe that people are unaware that fast food is unheatlhy. "Yes the number #1, with extra cheese for my Vitamin D....", yeh right! lol
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