Carbs 101

Carbohydrates (CHOs) are one of the three macronutrients. What are macronutrients? Macronutrients are the compounds we absorb from food that give us energy (calories). There are three macronutrients: carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Alcohol is the only other substance that gives us calories, but since it is not necessary for survival, it is not considered one of the macronutrients.

So what are carbohydrates? CHOs are molecules consisting of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen that we usually get from grains, simple sugars, fruits, and vegetables. CHOs are also called saccharides, most commonly when they are grouped together (sugars, starches and cellulose) which we call monosaccharides, disaccharides, or polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are one sugar molecule, disaccharides are two bonded together, and polysaccharides are 3 or more sugar molecules bonded together (usually the starches and fibers). For the visual learners please see the pictures below.

Carbohydrate

       

Why does the “carbohydrate” structure look so much different than the monosaccharide? The “carbohydrate” structure simply wraps around to make a hexagonal ring.

And for those of us whose favorite subject was definitely NOT chemistry, let’s look at it in an even simpler way.

            The three monosaccharides are glucose, galactose, and fructose. There are also three disaccharides, maltose, lactose, and sucrose. Each monosaccharide pairs with a glucose molecule to make a disaccharide.

Glucose + glucose = maltose

Glucose + galactose = lactose

Glucose + fructose = sucrose

            There are two different types of CHOs that consumers see on the shelves—complex and simple. Complex CHOs are those from whole grains—literally using the entire grain to make whatever food they are selling. Simple CHOs can either be sugars (as described above) or refined grains. Refined grains are those where the manufacturing company will remove the bran (fiber) and the germ (fats and nutrients) from the grain only leaving the endosperm (starch). The micronutrients are concentrated in the bran and the germ resulting in whole grain products being favored over refined grains, nutritionally, and the USDA suggests that we make at least half of our daily grain intake whole grains.

    

          What do CHOs to for our bodies? They give us energy! Carbohydrates contain 4 kcals per gram. We have to continuously eat CHOs because they are our main energy source and we don’t store much of them—we store some in our muscles and liver as glycogen to use in times that we are not currently eating, but for the most part we need to continuously eat them to use them. This is shown in the American Macronutrient Distribution Ranges (AMDRs) with CHOs ranging between 45-65% of our daily intake! Carbohydrates go through a series of metabolic processes to convert glucose into ATP (energy)—unless you’re a science nerd, it’s all pretty boring, but do know that it’s a long process that uses enzymes and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to help power the chemical reactions to make energy. CHOs are used as the batteries of each cell to keep them alive and working. They are the only energy source for our brains in favorable conditions, and only if absolutely necessary our bodies will break down muscle tissues for extra glucose as well as use ketone bodies for energy. When we go without eating, our bodies will use our entire glycogen stores (the stored CHOs in our muscle and liver) within 24 hours, it will break down proteins to yield more glucose, and send bodily fats through extensive processes to yield glucose. This all goes to say that the main function of CHOs is to provide energy for our bodies.

             
              What else do CHOs do for us? In addition to the CHOs that give us energy, there are CHOs called “dietary fiber” that our bodies are unable to break down and they help us out while they are traveling through our gut. Explaining dietary fiber can get very in-depth and technical, so to keep it easy you should know that there are two types of fiber—soluble and insoluble. They are named for pretty self-explanatory reasons: soluble fiber soaks up water (think Cheerios sitting in milk for an hour) and insoluble fiber does not soak up water (think bran flakes sitting in milk for an hour). Both forms give our gut something to hold on to as it tries to push foodstuff through your intestines.  Soluble fiber slows digestion, and can help lower the risk of heart disease and abnormal lipid panels by trapping cholesterol molecules in their “net” preventing them from being absorbed through the intestinal walls-- meaning that the cholesterol/lipids are excreted from the body instead of absorbed into our blood. Soluble fiber can be found in oat bran, barley, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, and fruits and veggies. Insoluble fiber adds bulk into the intestines and helps food pass more quickly through the GI tract. Insoluble fiber can be found in wheat bran, veggies, and whole grains. Dietary fiber also helps with keeping blood sugars stable because they are CHOs that are not absorbed and do not contribute to blood sugar spikes that you would get from eating a teaspoon of table sugar. Last, but certainly not least, dietary fiber (especially insoluble fiber) keeps our gut healthy because it is what our intestinal bacteria feed on. When our intestinal bacteria are fed, it promotes healthy colonies of “good” bacteria instead of allowing space for harmful bacteria to grow. Also, when the bacteria break down these fibers they produce Vitamin K which we then absorb.

             Overall, contrary to popular belief, carbs are NOT the enemy! Carbohydrates are essential to vital life, keep our brains working and smart, help us poop, maintain blood sugars, reduce blood cholesterol levels, and taste delicious! So go grab some berries or a slice of bread and chomp down.

Pineapple Oatmeal Muffins alidaskitchen.com

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup rolled oats

½ cup packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 (8 oz.) can crushed pineapple, not drained

1 cup buttermilk

¼ cup butter, melted

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 12-cup muffin tin with baking spray, set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and cinnamon. In a large bowl, combine pineapple, buttermilk, butter, egg, and vanilla until well combined. Add flour mixture to pineapple mixture, folding until just combined. Divide batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.