Primary Functions of Carbohydrates

In recent years, carbohydrates have gotten a bad reputation. Some diets advise you not to eat them if you want to lose weight. But, eliminating this portion of a well-balanced diet can do more than make you shed a few pounds, it can actually make you feel like you're not healthy and reverse what your workouts could be achieving for your body.

Function

• The primary function of carbohydrates is energy. They are the base fuel our bodies need to function, especially when it comes to our brain and our nervous system. They help our muscles to contract, allowing us to move and our organs to operate in an optimal fashion. Without them, we'll often feel sluggish and not think as efficiently as one would want. They are an essential component to a well-balanced diet.

Types

• Carbohydrates fall into two basic categories: simple and complex. While simple carbohydrates break down more rapidly than complex, they are still used by the body for energy. The most natural of the simple carbohydrates would be that of fruits, some vegetables and dairy, but are also found in more processed fare, such as refined sugar, soda, candy, cakes and other similar products. Complex carbohydrates will take a longer to digest than simple, making them a better source of energy. They also provide an individual with a surplus of other nutrients, including vitamins, mineral and fiber. You'd find this type of carbohydrate in vegetables, legumes and whole grains.

Effects

• Most (if not all) of your carbohydrates should be made up of the complex type, since the majority of your simple carbs do not contain the vitamins and minerals needed for a healthy diet. While carbohydrates are an important part of daily dietary intake, too much of a good thing can translate into some undesirable effects. Once the body has reached its capacity, so to speak, of carbs, the excess will often be converted into fat. This is where the "no carb" diet really found its impetus, but it doesn't mean you should cut out carbohydrates entirely. That would be unhealthy.

Considerations

• As with any food, a certain amount of moderation should be employed and based on the activity level of the individual. Since carbohydrates are bodies' main source of fuel, athletes will generally need more carbohydrates than a person sitting behind a desk all day. When a person exerts himself, he expends a precise amount of energy. The preservation of this energy is in direct correlation, to a certain degree, of his carbohydrate intake. When the stores are depleted, he will not perform as well and may even see a loss in muscle tissue, demonstrating that muscles aren't all about protein.

Significance

• When you deprive your body of carbohydrates, as a number of recent fad diets intend for you to do, you are actually affecting more than just your weight. Without carbs, your body will actually begin to convert protein into glucose to use as energy. After a time, you'll not only begin to "burn" body fat, but also muscle tissue, which would affect the definition and performance of our body.