7 Energizing Facts About Carbohydrates

Your body needs carbohydrates the same way cars need gas to keep moving. Without carbohydrates in your diet, there’s a high chance you’ll feel tired. With that said, here are ten facts about carbohydrates you should know to live a healthier life.

Not all carbohydrates are bad for people with diabetes

People with diabetes can still eat carbohydrates as long as they avoid the bad ones, which are simple or refined carbohydrates. These bad carbohydrates make the symptoms of diabetes worse by increasing their blood sugar faster. What diabetics should do instead is consume complex carbohydrates like oats, carrots, and broccoli. They’re packed with nutrients and are digested slowly.

Carbohydrates are the most consumed macronutrient

Macronutrients are foods eaten in large amounts to make you healthy. Besides providing energy, they also prevent your body from getting diseases. The reason why carbohydrates are the most consumed macronutrient is due to their ability to give your body instant energy.

This is more helpful for people like construction workers who have a lot of physical activities throughout the day. Keep in mind to consume more complex carbohydrates to prevent feeling tired after a short burst of energy.

It would help if you ate carbohydrates before and after working out

Eating carbohydrates before working out gives you enough energy to boost your physical performance. And during a workout, your body also tends to use the energy stored from your glycogen.

This is why it’s crucial to eat carbohydrates after exercising since it refills your glycogen. Another reason to consume carbohydrates is their ability to boost your immune system after a workout.

Carbohydrates aren’t the only energy source for your brain

When your body doesn’t get enough glucose, ketones are what your body uses for energy. Your liver makes them through the burning of fat. Replacing carbohydrates with ketones makes you have a ketogenic diet. You benefit from ketones as they act like antioxidants, preserve muscle mass, and prevent cancer growth.

Eating too many simple carbohydrates can increase hunger

Consuming simple carbohydrates excessively leads to higher insulin levels and are digested quickly by your body. Both of these cause you to feel more hungry even after eating a lot. And since simple carbohydrates have a ton of added sugar, they make your brain produce dopamine, making you eat more of what you crave.

Plants can produce carbohydrates because of photosynthesis

Photosynthesis is a process of using sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide to make plants grow. It occurs in the chloroplast, where sunlight converts water and carbon dioxide into oxygen and glucose. But aside from using glucose for energy, it’s also used to create other carbohydrates such as starch and cellulose.

Carbohydrates cause an acid attack on your teeth

Your mouth is filled with millions of bacteria because it’s the perfect place for them to thrive. After eating, the carbohydrates in your mouth enable the bacteria to produce acid that attacks the outer layer of your tooth. Some carbohydrates that are bad for your teeth are white bread, cake, and potato chips.