Carbohydrates Benefits, Sources, and Side Effects

Carbohydrates Benefits, Sources, and Side Effects

Carbohydrates Benefits: Carbohydrate is usually found in every food item. From fruits and vegetables to fries or chips or pizza slices, carbohydrate is also present. Carbohydrate is the main source of energy for the body and it must be included in the diet to get energy.

A balanced diet consists of 45 to 65 percent of carbohydrates and this gives the body the calories it needs for daily work. However, if you do a lot of exercises, then you need more carbohydrates than a normal person. But if you want to get the benefits of carbohydrates, you should choose the right type. Apart from this, it is also important to know how much carbohydrate should be consumed.

So let's know what are the benefits, sources of carbohydrates and how you can include it in your diet.

Benefits of carbohydrates

Carbohydrates provide the energy required for our daily activities. Apart from providing energy, it also has other benefits.

Energy is required for all our activities. Even we need the energy to walk and breathe. The source of energy required for our daily needs is glucose. Our body gets glucose from the starch and sugar we eat in our diet.

During the process of digestion, starch and sugar are broken down into sugar with the help of insulin. Glucose then enters the cell wall. If there is a high amount of sugar in the food, then it gets deposited in our muscles, liver, and other parts of the body which later turn into fat.

Fibrous foods i.e. fiber-rich diet help us in fighting some diseases like type 2 diabetes and obesity. Fiber helps to control indigestion and cholesterol and cardiovascular diseases. The fiber we can get from whole grains. Exercise and proper calorie intake help prevent many diseases such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems. Low fat, low cholesterol carbohydrates can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Many of us blame carbohydrates for gaining weight. But proper carbohydrate intake helps in reducing or controlling your weight. If you eat fruits, vegetables, and fibrous foods in your diet properly then it helps in reducing your weight. A diet rich in carbohydrates is beneficial in weight loss and muscle tone.

Types of carbohydrates

There are mainly three types of carbohydrates.

Sugar is the simplest form of carbohydrate. Sugar occurs naturally in milk, milk products, fruits, vegetables, and many other foods. Sugar is found in three forms: lactose, fructose, and sucrose. It is derived from milk, sugar, and fruit. Sugar provides us with the necessary energy for daily activities.

Starch is only part of sugar. It is naturally found in rice, beans, peas, and other grains.

Fiber is also a part of sugar like starch. A fiber diet helps us in quick digestion. Fiber is found in some vegetables, whole grains, peas, and dried beans, bran, soybeans, etc.

Fibers help in the quick digestion of food. Fiber is found in some vegetables, whole grains, peas, and dried beans, bran, soybeans, etc.

Sources of carbohydrates

Since carbohydrates work in both weight gain and weight loss, care must be taken to include carbohydrates in your diet. So let us tell you what kind of carbohydrate diet you should take.

Fresh fruits like watermelon, raspberry, grape, blueberry, pear, and plum provide you with fiber, too much water, and natural sugar. Therefore, eat these fiber-rich fruits.

It is better to eat whole grains than refined grains. These provide you with fiber and potassium, magnesium, and selenium. Refining grains reduces nutrient and fiber content. Although all grains provide carbohydrates, whole grains provide additional benefits. Items like pieces of bread made from whole grains are available in the market.

Legumes are a rich source of protein and also contain essential nutrients such as potassium, magnesium, selenium, and folate. Beans, lentils, and peas contain fiber (soluble and insoluble) proteins and do not contain any type of cholesterol. These are more beneficial than other foods. Beans do not contain cholesterol and saturated fat, so it is very beneficial for heart patients.

We should use low-fat dairy products to limit saturated fat intake. Low-fat dairy products give us vitamins, minerals, protein, and calcium along with fewer calories. But it is necessary to make sure that the amount of sugar in any dairy product you consume should not be high.

Consuming high amounts of sugar is not good for our health. Along with increasing our weight, it provides poor nutrition and its consumption can also cause tooth decay. So avoid the consumption of candy, sugar drinks, sweets. They provide no nutrition except calories.

Carbohydrate overdose loss

• Consumption of carbohydrates in excess can increase the number of calories in the body, which can lead to obesity.
• Not eating enough carbohydrates can cause malnutrition.

The right amount of carbohydrates

Our daily energy needs depend on our way of life. How many calories we need to eat depends on the type of work we do. If you need 2000 calories per day, then you should get 45 to 65% of these calories from carbohydrates. Because each gram of carbohydrate has 4 calories, it means that you should eat 225 to 335 grams of carbohydrate-rich food per day. This will give you 900 to 1300 calories out of 2000 calories.