Carbohydrates -- sometimes called "carbs" in the popular media -- are one type of energy-providing nutrient. While you need them to maintain health, you can't live on a diet of nothing but carbohydrate; to try to do so would be to deny your cells the essential building blocks they need to function.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are chemical compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The energy-providing carbohydrates are starch and a variety of sugars, while other carbohydrates -- like dietary fiber -- have important physiological roles without providing you with energy. When you consume carbohydrates, you break them down into small building block molecules called monosaccharides, which you absorb into the bloodstream and can burn for energy. All cells use monosaccharides for energy, but they're particularly the favorite fuel of the brain.
Amino Acids
While a healthy diet needs to include carbohydrate, you can't plan a diet that consists of carbohydrate and nothing but. To do so would leave you deficient in the essential amino acids, which are building blocks of protein. You need 20 different types of amino acids to make protein, but you can make 11 of them from other molecules, such as monosaccharides. The other nine you can only get by eating protein.
Other Nutrients
Aside from protein, your cells also need fat to maintain health. While you can make certain kinds of fat from carbohydrates, you need some fat in your diet in order to ensure you're getting enough of it to maintain cellular wellness. You also need vitamins and minerals, even though they don't provide energy. Carbohydrate foods contain some of the vitamins and minerals, but others -- like vitamin B-12 -- occur only in animal protein foods.
General Guidelines
If you're trying to put together a healthy diet, talk to your doctor for guidelines on how much carbohydrate -- and what type of carbohydrate -- to include. A balanced diet will include carbohydrate from primarily whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables and whole grain. You'll also need protein from vegetable sources and lean meats, as well as healthy, plant-based oils to ensure that you get all the vitamins, minerals and building blocks for cellular materials.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D., et al.; 2007
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
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