Carbohydrates are our main source of energy. People on a low-carb diet know firsthand how abruptly the body stops obeying you. How productivity drops, how difficult it is to concentrate and get down to business, because your body wants to conserve resources while lying down. And one has only to eat a high-carbohydrate product, as wings immediately grow.
Our body requires much more energy than it is able to spend during the day, as it tries to make fat reserves in case of hunger or intense unexpected stress.
Complex and simple
Carbohydrates are saccharides that have the main characteristic from the point of view of nutrition – the rate of decay in the body.
Monosaccharides – simple carbohydrates – have a high glycemic index. Complex – polysaccharides – have a low glycemic index.
Simple carbohydrates have a fast decay rate, and therefore, after consuming them, a surge of strength is felt immediately, there is a jump in insulin in the blood. Complex ones break down for a long time, energy is released from them gradually and evenly, within 3-5 hours.
If the consumption of simple carbohydrates does not exceed 40 percent, then they will have time to be absorbed and will not cause the accumulation of extra pounds.
Sources of carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates are found in dairy products, sugar, honey, dried fruits, semolina.
Complex – in cereals, pasta, bread, flour, potatoes, legumes, corn, fresh vegetables. Cooked foods, despite the flour in the composition, are classified as fast carbohydrates due to their high sugar content.
What are carbohydrates for?
Complex carbohydrates are good for brain function, not just muscle tone. Therefore, it is wrong to exclude or cut back on carbohydrates in the diet, you should replace as many fast carbohydrates as possible with slow ones, and the process of losing weight will move off the ground.
There are also foods that contain moderate amounts of carbohydrates. These are fruits and berries, some vegetables – it is advisable to eat them in limited quantities.
How many carbohydrates should you eat
Carbohydrates are an irreplaceable and obligatory part of the diet of any person and their amount should be 50-80 percent of the total diet. The amount of carbohydrates is influenced by many parameters, as well as the goals that you set for yourself. It is undesirable to go beyond these boundaries in each individual case.