And that those foods actually play a huge role in giving our bodies the energy we need.
Carbs are the bodys most important energy source, according to theU.S.
National Library of Medicine.
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The main exceptions would be oils and meats.
We measure the amount of carbohydrates present in a food in terms of gramse.g.
This apple has 20 grams of carbs.
An apple is a carb.
(And no, in case you’re wondering, butter isnota carb.)
Check out this helpful guide in case you’restillwondering, What are carbs?
The different kinds of carbs
Lets talk chemistry 101 for a hot second.
These compositions help determine how these different molecules taste in our mouths and work in our bodies.
National Library of Medicine.
Starches and fibers are called complex carbohydrates, becauseyou guessed itthey look more complicated and large under a microscope.
They are generally made of long strings of those simple sugars, called polysaccharides (i.e.
National Library of Medicine.
National Library of Medicinebecause they all get used by our bodies in different ways.
(A quick note if youre wondering, Well, what about the keto diet?
National Library of Medicine.
(you might read more on why fiber is so important and how it works,here.)
The body is a little like a fancy car that only takes diesel gas, though.
Its preferred form of fuel is a bang out of monosaccharide, or single sugar, called glucose.
Amazingly, your body actually gets to work digesting some complex carbs before you even swallow them.
Here, more specialized enzymes and acids are introduced to break it down into even tinier bits.
Again, how long digestion takes depends on the kinds of carbs involved.
Simple sugars have the greenlight to speed through the process we just described.
The liver then dispatches most of that glucose throughout the body via the bloodstream.
Insulin allows the glucose in our bloodstream to enter the bodys cells so it can be used for energy.
But we usually consume more carbs than we need at that exact moment.
It can be accessed down the road when we have an energy deficit (i.e.
using more calories than were taking in).
