Category: Carbohydrates

According to nutritional data, a single piece of malawach can contain anywhere from 42g to over 80g of carbohydrates, depending on the brand and size. This Yemenite Jewish flatbread, beloved for its flaky, buttery layers, is a significant source of carbs and should be accounted for in your daily intake.

Over 45% of an average diet should come from carbohydrates, the body’s primary energy source. This often leads to a common question for home cooks and health enthusiasts: is pasta or bread better for you? The answer depends largely on the type of grain, portion sizes, and preparation methods.

According to the NHS, starchy foods should constitute just over a third of the food we eat, highlighting why starch is important to humans. This complex carbohydrate provides the body with the primary fuel source needed for daily activities, from fueling your brain to powering muscle function. Beyond energy, the right types of starch also offer essential fiber, vitamins, and minerals.

Roughly 180–220 grams of glucose are produced in an adult liver over 24 hours to fuel the body. To manage this energy, the body uses the vast structural difference between glucose and glycogen, converting a simple sugar into a complex, branched molecule for efficient storage.

Virtually no natural, whole food contains exclusively glucose, as carbohydrates in nature are typically found in more complex forms or mixed with other sugars like fructose and sucrose. The idea of a single food with glucose only is a common misconception that requires a deeper understanding of carbohydrate chemistry and food composition.

Maltodextrin has a high glycemic index (GI) value of 110, which is significantly higher than table sugar's GI of 65. This rapid glucose spike makes even a small amount of maltodextrin a serious concern for anyone asking, "will a small amount of maltodextrin kick you out of ketosis?".

With approximately 83% of its calories coming from carbohydrates, kenkey is definitively high in carbs, serving as a primary energy source in West African diets. This traditional Ghanaian dish, made from fermented corn dough, is a staple that provides energy for millions.

According to the American Heart Association, complex carbohydrates like starches are digested more slowly than simple sugars, providing a more gradual release of energy. So, what would be considered a starch, and why are they a cornerstone of a healthy diet? Starches are long chains of glucose molecules that the body uses as a primary fuel source.

Starch is a complex carbohydrate that serves as a vital energy reserve for most green plants. When consumed, your body breaks down the complex chains in these foods to produce glucose, a process that makes up a crucial part of our daily energy intake.

The human body absorbs simple sugars into the bloodstream for quick energy, but is glucose the only simple sugar that provides this fuel? In fact, simple carbohydrates are a diverse group of compounds that includes several different types of simple sugars, encompassing both monosaccharides like fructose and galactose and disaccharides like sucrose.