Carbohydrates, fats and proteins are called macronutrients and are needed by the body to produce energy. Carbohydrates make up the majority of most plants. Sugars, starch and fiber are either simple or complex carbohydrates. Simple carbohydrates can be quickly metabolized and used as the body's primary source of energy, while complex carbohydrates take longer to be broken down by digestive enzymes, metabolized and converted to energy.
Monosaccharides, Disaccharides and Polysaccharides
Monosaccharides are the simple sugars called glucose, fructose and galactose and are the building blocks of all the other carbohydrates. You will find fructose in fruit, several chains of galactose forms lactose, which is found in milk and called milk sugar. Disaccharides contain two or more monosaccharides, chained together. Disaccharides include sucrose, maltose and lactose. Polysaccharides form the complex carbohydrates such as starch. All of these sugars provide quick energy for the body.
Dietary Fiber
Dietary fiber is one type of carbohydrate and is either soluble, or insoluble. Insoluble fiber consists of a series of tightly bonded units of glucose, which cannot be broken down by your digestive enzymes. This is what enables fiber to freely pass through your digestive system, creating bulk and preventing constipation. Soluble fiber can be partially digested, converting it to a gel-like substance that can absorb and eliminate toxins and waste from your intestinal tract. Fiber is considered a complex carbohydrate.
Sugars
Simple sugars are carbohydrates made up of short, loosely bonded units of glucose, which can be easily broken down in the digestive system and metabolized. These simple carbohydrates are naturally found in foods such as fruits and are called fructose or fruit sugars. Simple carbohydrates are also those that are added to foods and include brown sugar, honey, molasses and white sugar to name a few.
Starch
Starches are considered complex carbohydrates, with long chains of simple sugars called polysaccharides. Starches can be broken down by digestive enzymes, some more quickly than others, and converted to energy. Starches that are rapidly digested include whole grain flours, potatoes and corn, which are efficiently turned to glucose by the digestive system and converted to energy. If you consume more starch than you need to support your energy level, the remainder is stored in the body.
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