Do You Know the Three Types of Carbohydrates?

Despite the obsession with diets and fitness regimes, many “so-called” specialists cannot correctly answer the question as to where body fat goes when pounds are shed. The most common misconception about fat loss, is that the fat is converted to energy and burned as fuel. It is important to understand the difference between dietary fat that you consume and the fat that you carry around inside your body. Your body stores fat so you never run out of adenosine triphosphate, which is retained for fuel. Another misconception about where fat goes when you shed weight is that fat escapes during a bowel movement. Truth is excess fat converts to carbon dioxide and water and escapes as urine or sweat. As for permanent weight loss, it comes from a balanced mix of fuel and not extreme macronutrient diet plans.

Carbohydrates Are Essential Macronutrients

Often maligned with today’s fad diets, carbohydrates are macronutrients and one of the basic food groups that have been identified as important to a healthy diet. Listed below are the three primary types of carbohydrates, which are used by the body for energy and other bodily functions, including:

• Sugars - Sugar is a type of carbohydrate that is usually referred to as a simple carb or fast burning carbohydrate. Simple sugars include table sugar, fruit sugar and milk sugar, and each one provides a quick source of energy.
• Starches - A starch is a type of carbohydrate that is made up of long chains of glucose. Your body produces digestive enzymes to break down all types of starches. Basically, plants make starch to store glucose as fuel for your body’s cells.
• Fiber - Fiber comes from plant-based foods. There is no fiber in animal products, such as milk, meat, poultry, fish or eggs. Fiber is the non-digestible part of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts and legumes that passes through the digestive tract but is not digested.

Fructose is special. It is the sweetest carbohydrate, since plants make a lot of fructose as a way of attracting insects and animals, which help plants to reproduce as animals poop out the seeds from the fruits they eat.

Eating the Right Foods to Boosts Weight Loss

According to the American College of Cardiology, it does not matter which type of diet you chose to lose weight. What does matter is that you stick with the diet whether you select a low-fat or low-carb menu plan. In other studies, the average weight loss after one year was about twelve pounds regardless of the restricted macronutrient. If you compare two extreme diets, such as very-low carbohydrate intake or very-low fat intake, there will likely be a metabolic advantage that boosts weight loss. The main reason dieters often choose a low-fat menu plan is that fat provides a greater number of calories saved-per-gram compared to carbohydrates and protein. Basically, low fat diets are equally as effective for losing weight, but it is crucial the fats you eat come from healthy sources. Saturated and trans fats found in processed foods, baked goods and animal products are unhealthy options for permanent weight loss. Pick healthy carbs and unsaturated fats over trans fats and refined carbohydrates.