Carbohydrates: The Body's Fuel!

When the topic of carbohydrates comes to mind, many often think they're the enemy, but they're not. In fact, carbohydrates make up around 40-50% of your energy intake, and they're crucial to helping you go about your daily life.

With carbohydrates available in a variety of sizes, shapes, and types, it's essential to understand their roles, which ones are best for fuelling your body, and how much you should add to your diet.

Dive in with us today, and learn about carbohydrates in more detail.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are a nutrient group found in food and are your body's primary energy source. They're a combination of sugars, starches and dietary fibre found in food and broken down in the body into glucose (blood sugar) to fuel the essential roles played by your cells, tissues and organs.

Here's a basic insight into how carbohydrates help fuel your body:

When you eat carbohydrates, your digestive system starts to break them down.
Your bloodstream then absorbs the carbohydrates and turns them into glucose.
Steadily, your body releases insulin, which helps transport glucose to cells to provide energy.
Afterwards, if you have additional glucose, your body will soon store it in your muscles or liver. Once you've used up the glucose in those areas, your body will convert it to extra glucose to store as fat.

What are the main types of carbohydrates?

There are three main types of carbohydrates, which are:

Sugars

These types of carbohydrates are commonly referred to as simple carbohydrates. They're mainly found in processed and refined foods such as sweets, soda and desserts. They can be found in natural sugars, such as those found in milk and fruit.

Natural sugars: Found in fruits and dairy items
Added sugars: Found in cakes, candy, cookies, chocolate, soda and processed foods.

Starches

Starches are commonly known as complex carbohydrates and basically are a long chain of simple sugars that are broken down by your body. Starches exist in the following foods:

Whole grains: Oats, pasta, bread, barley, sweet potatoes and brown rice.
Refined grains: White rice, white bread, pasta and foods made from white flour.

Fibre

This is another form of complex carbohydrate, which helps you stay fuller for longer. Many of the food items in the starches section also included fibre. Fibre is also found in lentils and beans!

Looking at the main types of carbohydrates above, you'll soon realise they're in pretty much everything. From fruits, vegetables, grains and dairy products, they're everywhere! But, with carbohydrates, there are different types, ones you should consume more of and some you should consume less of…

Simple vs Complex Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are broken down into two major categories: simple and complex.

Simple carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates are the ones you should limit, as they contain sugars (some of which occur naturally), but most are refined. When possible, you should avoid:

Brown sugar
Raw sugar
Corn syrup
Fructose
Glucose
High sucrose
Fruit-juice concentrate

Complex carbohydrates

On the other hand, complex carbohydrates are what you should include in a regular part of your diet. They should include the following:

Whole grains
Fibre-rich fruits
Fibre-rich vegetables
Beans

5 ways your body uses carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are crucial macronutrients for the body and can't be overlooked in supporting some of its main functions. Here are 5 ways your body uses carbohydrates.

Energy production

First and foremost, the main role carbohydrates play is to supply your body with energy. These macronutrients are broken down into glucose to support your brain, muscles and organs for immediate use and physical activity. Glucose is the backbone of major molecules, such as DNA, RNA, and ATP, which are your body's primary energy source.

Energy storage

If you consume too many carbohydrates, excess glucose from the carbohydrates is stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. When you're not consuming carbohydrates or engaging in specific exercise, your liver steadily releases glycogen to help maintain blood glucose levels between meals and to meet its own energy needs.

Digestive health

Non-digestible carbohydrates like fibre can help encourage regular bowel movements, add bulk to stool and reduce the risk of constipation. When consumed, fibre passes through both the small and large intestine, becoming fermented by gut bacteria, which helps maintain a healthy gut microbiome. In other words, non-digestible carbohydrates help regulate blood sugar levels, lower cholesterol, and support healthy bowel function.

Sparing protein

As energy is sourced from carbohydrates, your body can retain protein, stopping it from being used as an energy source. This can prevent muscle wastage and ensure efficient muscle repair, as well as other essential bodily functions.

Supporting lipid metabolism

Carbohydrates also help with fat metabolism. Not all, but a certain amount of carbohydrates is important to break down fats so that they can be utilised properly.

The bottom line on carbohydrates

Overall, carbohydrates aren't bad for you; they're beneficial in small amounts and the right ones to consume. When adding carbohydrates to your diet, try to consume simple and complex carbohydrates over refined ones, as they're easier to digest and less likely to be stored as fat.

Remember, carbohydrate consumption isn't always the same for everyone; certain factors, such as gender, age, and lifestyle, can influence the amount of carbohydrates you need for energy. As a general rule, try to follow the Eat Well (NHS) guidelines to help you maintain a balanced diet.

However, carbohydrates aren't the only macronutrients you should be aware of; fats are also important for your diet- learn about the facts on fats.