What Are Carbs and How Do They Help Us?

Carbs are the sugars, starches and fibers found in fruits, grains, vegetables and milk products. Carbohydrates are macronutrients, meaning they are one of the three main ways the body obtains energy. They are called carbohydrates because they contain carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. In your body, energy from carbs goes to fuel the nervous system and energy for working muscles. They also prevent protein from being used as energy.

Simple vs Complex Carbohydrates

Simple Carbohydrates only contain one or two sugars such as fructose or galactose. The single sugar carbs are called monosaccharides, and the two sugar carbs are called disaccharides and can be found in things like sucrose, lactose, and maltose. Many simple Carbohydrates are processed, such as the ones fund in candy, soda and syrups, and contain "empty calories" which causes weight gain. Simple carbs give quicker burts of energy.

Complex Carbohydrates have three or more sugars and are often called "starchy foods". Complex carbohydrates can be beans, peas, lentils, peanuts, potatoes, corn, parsnips, whole-grain breads and cereals. Complex carbs give longer lasting, more sustained energy than simple carbs.

History of Carbs

In 1856, a French physiologist named Claud Bernard a starchliie substance in mammal's livers that he named Glycogen. He later proved that the substance was not only built up of glucos found in the blood, but could be broken down into sugars as needed.