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Nutrients
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Carbohydrates
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Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the starches and sugars that
supply most of our energy needs.The energy from carbohydrates allows
other nutrients, such as proteins, to be used to build tissue, not
to produce energy.
Foods such as bread, cereal, and potatoes are a
form of starch known as "complex carbohydrates." Table sugar
(sucrose) and honey are referred to as "simple sugars." Foods rich
in simple sugars fill you up with carbohydrates without giving you
the other nutrients that you need. Complex carbohydrates, on the
other hand, are a very important part of any diet. They provide a
wide range of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and even protein. Of your
total calories, 10 to 15 percent should come from simple sugars, and
40 percent from complex carbohydrates.
Good sources of complex carbohydrates include
grains (wheat, oats, corn, and rice), products made from
grains (noodles, flour, macaroni, spaghetti, grits,breads, and
breakfast cereals), white potatoes, sweet potatoes, and dried beans
and peas. Fruits, cane and beet sugars, jellies, jams, candy and
other sweets, honey, molasses, and syrups are concentrated sources
of simple sugars. |
