How to Identify Carbohydrates

Contrary to many beliefs, complex carbohydrates are not the same. In order to eat a healthy diet and enjoy overall health, it is important to identity the differences among carbohydrates and how they are broken down and used by the body. Doing so is simple. The following information will help you.

Things You'll Need

• Book of food counts
• Notebook or composition journal

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Instructions

Starchy Carbohydrates

• 1

  Know the makeup of starch. All carbohydrates are made up of oxygen, hydrogen and carbon, however, the way their atoms join one another differs, depending the carbohydrate. Each carbohydrate contains repeating sequences of simple sugars. The most common is starch. Starch is made up of a mixture of amylose and amylopectin. Starch is processed by the body starting in the mouth by an amylase, an enzyme found in saliva. Amylase breaks down starch and begins rapid digestion before they are swallowed.

• 2

  Identify starch in specific foods. By using the information in Step 1, it is easy to identify which foods begin breaking down when they come into contact with your saliva. Therefore, foods like oatmeal, yams, potatoes, rice, bread, pasta, kidney beans and corn are all examples of starchy carbohydrates.

• 3

  Make and keep a working list of starchy foods. It is also important to refer to a book of food counts to properly count calories to ensure that you eat the proper amount of starch. Starch calories that the body cannot burn are stored in the fat cells as sugar, which is responsible for weight gain.

Firbrous Carbohydrates

• 4

  Know which carbohydrates are fibrous. Fibrous carbohydrates are different than their starchy counterparts. Ever chew on a toothpick or match stick for a long period of time? You will notice that your saliva simply gets the wood wet and splinters it, but it's makeup does not change. This is because wood is a fibrous carbohydrate, made up of cellulose. Fibrous carbohydrates play an important role. They help move starch through your system and, in the process, allow your body to extract their nutritional elements. You may be thinking about which foods are cellulose. Carrots, broccoli, spinach, lettuce, cauliflower, green beans and cucumbers are all common fibrous vegetables.

• 5

  Make a list of fibrous carbohydrates. With the knowledge of Step 1 in hand, simply create and keep a working list of fibrous carbohydrates. This knowledge, after awhile, will become old hat. Refer to your food counts book to ensure you are getting the proper amount of calories from fibrous carbohydrates.

• 6

  Effectively mix both starchy and fibrous carbohydrates. For your body to properly process complex carbohydrates and to keep a balanced diet, it is important to eat a proper amount of both starchy and fibrous carbohydrates. Eating too much of either can have undesired effects on your metabolism. Eating too much starch will cause your body to store the excess sugar in your fat cells, causing a slow metabolism and weight gain. Consuming excess fibrous carbohydrates will cause complex carbohydrates--both starchy and fibrous--to pass through your system too rapidly, making your body unable to keep up with the pace. This is where the body fails to have to time to utilize the nutritional values of foods. Eat a balanced diet.