FitnessNutrition - Carbohydrates and Protein
I often hear people talking about protein and carbohydrates? What on earth are they! Do you really know them?
Carbohydrates – an important source of energy for the body to function.
Carbohydrates (sugar) provide immediate energy for body movement. All the sugars contained in food are broken down into the smallest units of simple sugars through the action of digestive enzymes, and then absorbed by the small intestine. It is then transported to various cells through the blood and can produce 4 kcal of energy per 1 gram after burning.
The remaining energy that is not used up becomes glycogen and is stored in the liver and muscles.
But once excessive storage occurs, sugar will be converted into neutral fat and accumulated in the body, thus leading to obesity.
The energy of brain operation
The energy that allows the body to move can also be produced from protein and fat, but under normal circumstances, only glucose (a type of simple sugar) can be used as an energy source for the brain. If there is insufficient carbohydrate intake, the brain will be short of energy, which will lead to reduced thinking ability. Some people say, "If you don't eat breakfast, your mind will not be clear."uo;, that’s why.
Also,compared to fats and proteins, the energy from sugars can be used immediately. Therefore, long-term light exercise mainly uses fat energy, while short-term intense exercise uses carbohydrate energy.
About Carbohydrates
When expressed as a molecular formula, it can be seen that it is composed of carbon (C) and water (H2O), so it is called carbohydrate. In terms of nutrients, carbohydrates can also be thought of as sugars.
Carbohydrates are defined in the nutrition presentation standards as "carbohydrates - dietary fiber". Foods with low dietary fiber content have approximately the same carbohydrate and dietary fiber content.
Saccharides can be divided into three types: monosaccharides (glucose, fructose, galactose, etc.), disaccharides (maltose, sucrose, lactose, etc.), and polysaccharides (starch, glycogen, etc.).
The so-called "sugar" refers to monosaccharides and disaccharides among sugars. Sugar, glucose, fructose, etc. used in beverages and desserts are sugars.
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