Carbohydrates

"Carbohydrates are broken down into the subgroups simple and complex carbohydrates. These subgroups are further categorized into mono-, di-, and polysaccharides. Throughout history, carbohydrates have and continue to be a major source of people’s diets worldwide. In ancient Hawai‘i, Hawaiians obtained the majority of their calories from carbohydrate-rich plants like ‘uala (sweet potato), ulu (breadfruit), and kalo (taro). Mashed kalo or poi was a staple of Hawaiian meals, and research suggests that almost 78 percent of the diet was made up of these fiber-rich carbohydrate foods. Carbohydrates nourish the brain and nervous system, provide energy to all of the body’s cells when within proper caloric limits, and help keep the body fit and lean. Digestible carbohydrates provide bulk in foods, vitamins, and minerals, while indigestible carbohydrates provide fiber with other health benefits. Plants synthesize glucose from carbon dioxide in the air and water by harnessing the sun’s energy, then use glucose to make larger, more slow-releasing carbohydrates. When people eat plants, they harvest the energy of glucose to support life’s processes. Carbohydrates are organic compounds containing a ratio of one carbon atom to two hydrogen atoms to one oxygen atom. Glucose, the most abundant carbohydrate in the human body, has the chemical formula C6H12O6. The simplest unit of a carbohydrate is a monosaccharide. Carbohydrates are broadly classified into simple, or fast-releasing, and complex, or slow-releasing, carbohydrates."