Question

Many fad diets claim we should eliminate dietary carbohydrate in order to lose weight. The truth is that calories from all sources need to be managed for weight control. For this discussion, read the following article in full: Magee, Elaine, MPH, RD: Good Carbs, Bad Carbs: Why do Carbohydrates Matter To You? OR copy and paste this link into your browser: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/carbohydrates#2 Answer the following questions in your own words, based on what you learned from the article and the text.

1) How does the information in the article compare to what you have heard about different types of carbohydrates? 2) Identify two specific choices (food or beverage) you might make in order to replace a ‘bad carb' with a ‘good carb' in your own diet. Choose examples beyond those listed in the article, and from two different food groups. 3) The average American tends to consume excessive simple and added sugars (‘bad’ carbs), while lacking in ‘good carbs’ from dairy, whole grains, fruit and starchy vegetables. Do you agree? Have you observed this? Discuss your observation and thoughts.

Answer 1

Ans: Carbohydrates are the compounds composed of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen arranged as monosaccarides or multiples of monosaccharides. Most of the carbohydrates have a ratio of one carbon molecule to one water molecule. They includes cellulose, sugars, starch and their main functions includes to provide energy through oxidation, to supply carbon for synthesis of cell components, store chemical energy and form parts of cell and tissue structures. There are three different types of carbohydrates which are monosacaride, dissacaride and polysaccharide. Monosacaride includes glucose. Monosaccharide is asingle polyhydroxy aldehyde or ketone unit. Dissacaride includes sucrose. In a disaccharide two monosaccharide units linked together by the acetal or ketal linkages. Polysaccharide includes starch. In a polysaccharide very large chain of linked monosaccharide units are present and polymer consisting entirely of D-glucose units.

Good Carbohydrates are the complex carbohydrates. Made up of sugar molecules that are strung together in long, complex chains. For example whole grain bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal, whole grain pastas, fat-free yogurt and beans.

Bad Carbohydrates are thge simple carbohydrates. Monosaccharides that are broken down quickly by the body to be used as energy. For example white bread, white rice, potatoes and french fries, corn, pastas, cereals, doughnuts or cookies and cakes.

The benefits of good carbohydrate is that good carbs are low glycemic i.e., they break down slowly, which keeps blood sugar and insulin levels more stable and holds hunger at bay. While bad carbs are high glycemic and do the opposite that is why one food with the same serving size as another may have far more calories. A high-fat food has many more calories than a food that's low in fat and higher in protein or carbohydrates. The glycemic index (GI) ranks the foods based on the impact they have on the blood sugar. So the higher a food glycemic index, the higher it elevates the amount of glucose coursing through thew veins. This overload of glucose leads to wild swings in blood sugar (it goes up, then comes crashing down), which ultimately causes to crave more carbs. As a result, one overeat.