What are Carbohydrates (carbs)?
Carbohydrates are a source of energy. When eaten, the body converts many of them into glucose. They are used to energize cells, the cells of organs such as the brain and muscles. Carbohydrates are one of the three nutrients that make up a large portion of the foods we eat, and the other two are fat and protein. Most of our meals contain a combination of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins at different levels.
Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are essential for our body and need a significant amount of all of them. Also, the body is unable to produce these elements accordingly, it must receive them from food.
variety of carbohydrates
There are three types of carbohydrates sugar, starch, and fiber.
Sugar
It finds naturally in some foods, including fruits, honey, fruit juices, milk (lactose), and vegetables. Other forms of sugar are the type of sugar, which adds to foods and beverages such as sweets, chocolate, biscuits, soft drinks during manufacturing, or added at home when cooking and baking. Keep in mind that sugar is a carbohydrate, but not all carbohydrates are sugar.
Fiber
Fiber is only in plant food, and it helps keep the intestines healthy, and some types of fiber are good for lowering cholesterol. Research has indicated that a diet high in fiber reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Good sources of fiber include whole-grain bread, whole-grain, vegetables, pasta, fruits, nuts, seeds, and legumes
Starch
A large number of different sugar-binding units make Starch. It exists in foods made from plants such as bread, rice, and pasta corn, potatoes, pumpkin, winter squash, green peas, dried beans, cereals, grains. Starch provides the body with enough energy throughout the day.
How many carbs do you need?
The amount of carbohydrates you consume depends on your gender, body size, and activity level. Remember age has an important role, all of these things change with aging. But as a general point, around half of your daily calories should come from carbohydrates.It means that half of the daily energy intake comes from starchy foods, fruits, and vegetables. As a result, carbohydrates that we eat should be more fiber and starch and less sugar.
Eating Too Many Carbs
If you consume too much carbohydrate, your blood sugar rises too much. This causes the body to produce more insulin, which tells cells to store excess glucose as fat. If you are a little overweight, this can be dangerous and can lead to diabetes and other illnesses.
Lack of carbs in the diet
Deficiency carbohydrates in the diet cause constipation because this diet is lacking fiber and nutrients. Besides, the body has to use protein or fat to provide energy. Proteins are like building blocks in the body. If you consume proteins as fuel, you will not have enough protein to build more cells and also keep other cells healthy.
Are Carbohydrates Fatty?
Overeating any food that will make you fat, it doesn’t matter the diet you use is high in fat or carbohydrates, calories have the principal role. Therefore, when the calories, which you eat, are high during the day, it makes no difference if you eat carbohydrates, protein, or fat, you will gain weight. It recommended that remove foods that are high in sugar instead of concerning about carb food.
What Carbohydrates Should We Eat More?
Carbohydrates that can provide both energy and other nutritional benefits, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, starchy foods (especially grains), we should eat more.
Be notified that, these nutrients are beneficial for your health. Omitting one whole food group out of the diet is dangerous to health, for example, some people think starch makes them gain weight, so if you omit starchy foods, you deprive yourself of nutrients such as vitamin B, zinc, and iron. If you want to lose weight, you should choose a healthy diet and also you should know what the number of carbohydrates you can consume.
On the other hand, if carbohydrates provide calories (energy) without any other nutritional value, they are harmful carbohydrates, for instance, Sweets, chocolates, biscuits, cakes, and drinks. Our advice is to consume foods that are slightly processed.
This table shows the carbohydrate values of raw vegetables, the carbohydrate amount can change slightly during cooking.
| Low-carb vegetables | ||||||
| Vegetable | Total carbohydrates | Fiber | Net carbs | Calories | Fat | Protein |
| alfalfa sprouts | 2.1 g | 1.9 g | 0.2 g | 23 | 0.69 g | 3.99 g |
| celery | 3.0 g | 1.6 g | 1.4 g | 16 | 0.2 g | 0.7 g |
| iceberg lettuce | 3.0 g | 1.2 g | 1.8 g | 14 | 0.1 g | 0.9 g |
| zucchini | 3.11 g | 1.0 g | 2.11 g | 17 | 0.32 g | 1.21 g |
| white mushrooms | 3.3 g | 1.0 g | 2.3 g | 22 | 0.3 g | 3.1 g |
| radishes | 3.4 g | 1.6 g | 1.8 g | 16 | 0.10 g | 0.68 g |
| spinach | 3.6 g | 2.2 g | 1.4 g | 23 | 0.4 g | 2.9 g |
| cucumber | 3.6 g | 0.5 g | 3.1 g | 16 | 0.1 g | 0.7 g |
| arugula | 3.65 g | 1.6 g | 2.05 g | 25 | 0.66 g | 2.58 g |
| Swiss chard | 3.7 g | 1.6 g | 2.1 g | 19 | 0.2 g | 1.8 g |
| asparagus | 3.88 g | 2.1 g | 1.78 g | 20 | 0.12 g | 2.20 g |
| tomatoes | 3.89 g | 1.2 g | 1.69 g | 18 | 0.2 g | 0.88 g |
| radicchio | 4.48 g | 0.9 g | 3.58 g | 23 | 0.25 g | 0.25 g |
| bell peppers | 4.71 g | 1.2 g | 3.51 g | 18 | 0.0 g | 1.18 g |
| cauliflower | 4.97 g | 2.0 g | 2.97 g | 25 | 0.28 g | 1.92 g |
| broccoli | 6.64 g | 2.6 g | 4.04 g | 34 | 0.4 g | 2.8 g |
| Reference: https://www.healthline.com/ | ||||||
Summary
Consequently, fruits, starchy foods, and vegetables have a lot of benefits to keep our healthy and consuming them is necessary for being away from the doctor. SunExport has been exporting Iranian fruits and vegetables for many years and always cares about the quality of export products. We do our best to maintain customer satisfaction. Our mission is, keeping the name of our company as one of the reputable companies to export Iranian food products. Contact us if you had an inquiry.