Download focus on carbohyrdates - Iowa City Community School District

FOCUS ON CARBOHYRDATES
What are CARBOHYDRATES?
Most carbohydrates come from plant foods. They supply quick and efficient energy.
Carbohydrates are the body’s main FUEL/ENERGY source and supply 4 calories per gram.
There are TWO TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES:
1. SIMPLE CARBOHYDRATES OR SIMPLE SUGARS
These are easy to digest and are converted rapidly into blood sugar glucose. Glucose is
used by the body cells to provide energy. Mono-saccharides are one-sugar molecules:
lactose, sucrose, and maltose.
2. COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES OR STARCHES
These are digested and broken down into glucose at a SLOWER rate. Complex
carbohydrates are formed by combining any two simple carbohydrates together.
Complex carbohydrates contain fiber. Dietary fiber is also called cellulose or roughage,
and its major job is to increase mobility of the foods being digested. Fiber is not digested
and passes through the body unchanged.
FOODS RICH IN CARBOHYDRATES:
SIMPLE/ SUGARS
Fruits-plums, apples
Vegetables – sweet potatoes, tomatoes
Sucrose sugars:
Granulated sugar
Brown sugar
Powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
Maple sugar
Raw sugar
Lactose- milk sugar
Fructose- sugar in fruits
Glucose- sugar in fruits and vegetables
Soft Drinks- Colas
Concentrated sweeteners:
Honey, Syrups and Molasses
COMPLEX/ STARCHES
Breads
Noodles/pastas
Cereals
Baked Products
Rice
muffins, cakes,
pancakes
cookies
Vegetables:
Ex. Potatoes
corn
*select cakes, pies, cookies, soft drinks and other sugary food only after eating the
recommended number of serving from the Food Pyramid.
Why do we need CARBOHYDRATES?
Our bodies use carbohydrates for energy and store a small amount in the liver and
muscle as GLYCOGEN. When muscles work, glycogen is burned. If our body does not
have enough carbohydrates, protein is soared and is used for building and repairing
body tissue. Carbohydrate Foods also contain vitamins, minerals, and fiber. CautionExcess carbohydrates in your diet are converted to and stored as fat! *Limit your intake
of cakes, pies, cookies, soft drinks and other sugary foods!
Aerobic activities (sustained exercise like a 2 mile run) use GLYCOGEN stored in the liver
and muscle whereas anaerobic activities (quick activities like the 50 yard dash) use
blood glucose as the primary energy source. Again, we need carbohydrates to provide
calories for energy. Athletes need a carbohydrates-rich diet to fuel hard working
muscles. Exercise increases our need for calories.
Carbohydrates-rich foods are generally less expensive than protein-rich foods. It is
recommended that at least 50% of calories come from carbohydrates in the diet. Low
carbohydrate diets cause the body to experience fatigue and loss of energy. During a
two-hour workout, you can easily use up all of your stored CAROBHYDRATES!
Did you know that the average 150 pound man has 1600 calories of stored GLUCOSE
which is readily available for QUICK ENERGY? 1600 calories provide enough energy for 1
¼ hours of running!
When GLYCOGEN is used up, a person feels exhaustion, hunger, diarrhea and nausea.
Endurance athletes like marathon runners, cross-country skiers, or bikers try to increase
glycogen in the body by “CARBOHYDRATE LOADING” three days prior to the event.
“CARBOHYDRATES LOADING” also causes water weight gain, about 4 pounds, because
glycogen retains water.
Blood flow, normally 25% to the stomach, decreases during heavy exercise to only 5%.
Blood flow to working muscles increases to 20-80%. Because of this, eating the pregame
meal 2-3 hours before exercising is critical! It is also important to eat complex
carbohydrates after exercise, like pizza, lasagna, rice dishes, fruits, vegetables and
breads.
Carbohydrates have received a bad reputation as “low-prestige” foods and fattening.
Since the beginning of the century, Americans have cut back on flour, cereal, grains, and
potatoes, which are high in nutrients and have increased their intake of simple sugars.
Remember – a medium size potato has only 100 calories. A tablespoon of butter or
margarine also has 100 calories.
FOOD ARE NOT FATTENING UNLESS YOU CONSUME MORE CALORIES THAN YOUR
BODY CAN YOU USE!
FYI – SIMPLE SUGARS
We use sugar (all varieties) to sweeten our foods. Our SWEET TOOTH is increasing our
craving for SUGAR. Our per capita consumption of sweeteners has been gradually
increasing. Only 25% of the sugars we consume are added at home, most of the sugar
we eat is ALREADY in the foods we buy.
Ex.
27% of the U.S. sugar consumption is from beverages, mainly soft drinks
44% is from processed foods – bakery and cereal products, fruit-flavored
gelatins, candy, jams and jellies, dairy products, and canned or frozen
fruits.
Who are the big consumers of sweeteners? MEN
The 12 to 19 year-old males make up the largest group, followed by the 9-11 year-old
group, and then the 20-34 year-old group. In both sexes, children get much of their sugar from
CANDY, while teenagers and young adults prefer soft drinks. Cookies, cakes, pies, and
doughnuts are popular with men of all ages. But women over 35 eat fewer foods containing
sugar than any other group. Current figures show that Americans eat over 130 pounds of caloric
sweeteners per person per year!
The table below illustrates various energy levels and sugar consumption:
Total Energy
Sugar Calories
Equivalent Amounts
Food Choice Equivalent
Per day
10% daily calories
of Sugar
Examples represent the
(in calories)
Maximum allowance of
sugar per day!
1800
180
4 tablespoons
2400
240
5 1/3 tablespoons
3000
300
6 2/3 tablespoon
One 12-ounce cola beverage
plus 2 teaspoons sugar
Or
One ounce lemon drops plus
1 ½ tablespoon jelly
One 3-inch square piece of
plain cake with frosting
Or
2 tablespoons honey plus
four 2-inch chocolate chip
cookies
Two 12 ounce cola
beverage or 5 tablespoons
of pancake syrup
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:
“AVOID TOO MUCH SUGAR”!
Why?
Sugar offers no nutritional value except energy .
Eating whole grains, fruits and vegetables instead of sugar increases the vitamins and
mineral in your diet.
Increased consumption sugar related to increase tooth decay- 98% if children in the United
States have tooth decay and by age 55, half of the population have lost their teeth. Sucrose
(table sugar) is the favorite carbohydrate of bacteria that live in the mouth. Bacteria eat the
sugar and turn it into an acid. The longer the acid stay on your teeth, the more damage it does
to the enamel and eventually a cavity will form.
By age 50, 1/3 of the men and ½ of the women in the United States are 20% or more over
weight.
Excessive amount of sugar is related to obesity.
Excessive amount of sugar is related to diabetes, especially as you age
21% of Americans are obese (2012) and 36% are overweight
How You Can Reduce Your Sugar Intake!
Reduce consumption of soft drinks! Substitute Fruit Juices, milk of water. Buy fewer foods
containing refined sugars. – Read the food label- Refined sugars are: glucose, dextrose, corn
syrup sucrose and fructose.
Eat more whole-grain breads and unsweetened cereals.
Eat more fresh fruits and vegetables.
Don’t use sweets as rewards.
Natural vs. Refined Sugars
Technically, all sugar is “natural” because it is obtained from food. However “natural
sugars” are those present in the food as eaten, such as in a piece of fruit. All other forms of
sugar are referred to as “refined sugar” because they have been obtained by “processing”.
Insulin is the name of a hormone used to control the amount of glucose in the blood stream. It
helps the body break down glucose (sugar) that enters the body. This hormone is produced in
the pancreas (part of the body). When it no longer produces this hormone people develop the
disease diabetes.