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Jokes of the day
A Sunday school teacher asked her little children, as they were on the way to church service, "And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?" One bright little girl replied, "Because people are sleeping."
What is Stress?
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Stress is the trash of modern life - we all generate it but if you don't dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.
Carbohydrates
What are Carbohydrates?
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy in our body. Carbohydrates are saccharides or sugar which breaks down in the living bodies to release energy. This organic molecule is present in most of the foods. Carbohydrate happens to be the most abundant amongst the important classes of bio-molecules which include lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. Carbohydrates break down immediately to release energy when you are physically active. When the body is not active, Carbohydrates is stored as fat in the body for later use.
Types of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates can be classified into the following types:
- Monosaccharides - Monosaccharide means one sugar.
Examples: galactose, fructose and glucose, fructose. The chemical composition of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in monosaccharides is in the ratio of 1:2:1. - Disaccharides - Disaccharides which means"two sugars. They are formed by glycosidic bonding.
Examples: maltose, lactose and sucrose - Oligosaccharides - These are simple sugars with 3-10 sugar units.
Examples: stachyose and raffinose - Polysaccharides - These are simple sugars with over 3000 sugar units.
Examples: amylose and amylopectin - Nucleotides - These sugars are found in the form of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA).
Examples: DNA and RNA.
Chemistry of Carbohydrates
Carbohydrate is called in several general names like starch, sugar, saccharide and polysaccharide. Carbohydrate is the name given to "hydrate of carbon". The general formula for carbohydrate is Cx(H2O)y - x. The most common form of carbohydrate is glucose whose chemical formula is C6 (H2O) 6, also written as C6H12O6. The chemistry of carbohydrates is similar to aldehydes, ketones and alcohols.
Carbohydrate is chemically ketone or polyhydroxy aldehyde. Carbohydrate may appear in a straight chain or also in the form of a ring structure. Ring structures feature two acetal or hemiacetal functional groups. Photosynthesis is the process through which carbon dioxide is converted to carbohydrates.
Role of Carbohydrates
In Animals:
- The most important function of carbohydrates is production of energy. One gram of carbohydrates is equivalent to four calories. They are the best source of instant energy. They provide you with the necessary energy for carrying out physical exercises.
- Carbohydrates store food in the body in the forms of starch or glycogen and combine with nitrogen when non-essential amino acids are formed.
- Carbohydrates promote health fitness and build up body strength with the generation of energy.
- Carbohydrates in the form of fiber keep the bowel function smooth.
- This macronutrient also regulates blood glucose level in the body and prevents ketosis. It also controls insulin metabolism
- Carbohydrates also aids in Protein glycosylation, cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism and Bile acid dehydroxylation.
In Plants:
- In plants, Carbohydrates form the building blocks. This is because they form the cellulose which gives structure and strength to the plants.
Source of Carbohydrates
The plant based foods are the richest source of Carbohydrates. Here is a list of foods with high and low content of carbohydrate per 100 gm of the edible portion. These are some of the items recommended by the nutritionists in India:
High Carbohydrate Content
Food Item |
Carbohydrate Content (in gm) |
Green gram |
59.9 |
Rajma |
60.6 |
Bengal whole gram |
60.9 |
Whole wheat flour |
69.4 |
Jowar |
72.6 |
Dry Apricot |
73.4 |
Raw Rice |
78.2 |
Honey |
79.5 |
Jaggery |
95 |
Sugarcane |
99.4 |
Low Carbohydrate Content
Food Item |
Carbohydrate Content (in gm) |
Butter milk |
0.5gms |
Fish |
2gms |
Cucumber |
2.5gms |
Curd |
3.0gms |
Cauliflower |
4gms |
Ladies finger |
6.4gms |
Beet root |
8.8gms |
Musambi |
9.3gms |