The Carbohydrates: Sugar, Starch, & Fiber

1. The Carbohydrates: Sugar, Starch, & Fiber Chapter 4

2. The Body’s Need for Carbohydrates • Provide the body with energy (calories) • Normal blood glucose levels promote well-being • Brain & nervous system are glucose sensitive

3. Carbohydrate Basics • Complex carbohydrates • Starch • Fiber • Simple carbohydrates • Naturally ocurring sugars • Added sugars

4. The Simple Carbohydrates: Monosaccharides & Disaccharides • Monosaccharides • Glucose • Fructose • Galactose • Disaccharides • Sucrose • Maltose • Lactose • Lactose intolerance

5. The Complex Carbohydrates: Starch • Starch = polysaccharide • The bread box: refined, enriched, & whole-grain breads • Wheat kernel = germ, endosperm, bran, & husk/chaff • Whole grains contain all but husk • Refined grains contain endosperm

6. The Complex Carbohydrates: Fiber • Insoluble fiber vs. soluble fiber • The health effects of fiber • Both - weight control • Insoluble - increases stool bulk • Soluble - lowers blood cholesterol & improves blood glucose control

7. Guidelines for Choosing Carbohydrates • Advantages of whole foods • Complex carbohydrates in the diet • Fiber in the diet • DGA: 14 g/1000 calories • Major health organizations: 21-38 g/day

8. Guidelines for Choosing Carbohydrates • Added sugars: use discretion • MyPyramid: discretionary calories • WHO: 10% or less of calories • DRI Committee: 25% or less of calories

9. Whole Grains for Health • Count to three • 3 or more ounce-equivalents of whole-grain products per day • Keep it varied • Check the label • Whole-grain flour first ingredient

10. Make Half Your Grains Whole • Start your day with a high-fiber selection • Whole grains are naturally low in fat & added sugars • Substitute whole-grain flour for 1/4 or more of flour in recipes • Fiber-rich snack mix • Whole-grain pasta, rice, breads • Combine whole grains with other foods in mixed dishes

11. How the Body Handles Carbohydrates • Digestion & absorption • Maintaining the blood glucose level • Muscle & liver glycogen stores • Insulin & glucagon

12. Hypoglycemia & Diabetes • Hypoglycemia • Abnormally low blood glucose • Ketosis • Diabetes • Type 2 diabetes • Type 1 diabetes

13. Carbohydrates--Friend or Foe? • A closer look at the glycemic effect of foods • Glycemic index • Satiety • “Good carbohydrates”

14. Sugar & Health • Naturally occurring vs. added sugars • Keeping sweetness in the diet • Keeping a healthy smile • Dental caries • Dental plaque • Periodontal disease • Nursing bottle syndrome

15. Sweet Talk--Alternatives to Sugar • Artificial sweeteners • Saccharin has never been proven to cause cancer • Aspartame causes health problems in people with phenylketonuria (PKU)

16. Sweet Talk--Alternatives to Sugar • Splenda is a derivative of sugar • 3 hydroxyl groups on the sugar molecule replaced with chlorine atoms • Replacing sugar-sweetened foods with artificially-sweetened ones can reduce calorie intake

17. Sweet Talk--Alternatives to Sugar • Any food containing carbohydrate can promote tooth decay, even if artificially sweetened • Diabetics can eat sugar; the total carbohydrate intake is more important than the source • Alternative sweeteners can have side effects

18. Sweet Talk--Alternatives to Sugar • Sugar alcohols • Group of alternative sweeteners • Caloric, but don’t promote tooth decay • Neotame is a derivative of aspartic acid & phenylalanine • Safe for people with PKU • Stevia is a plant sold as a dietary supplement in the U.S. • Long used as a sweetener in South America & Asia