Carbohydrates << Nutrition Basics << Staying Active and Eating Healthy << womenshealth.gov

About Carbohydrates

The foods you eat contain different types of carbohydrates (kar-boh-HEYE-drayts). Some kinds are better for you than others. The different types of carbohydrates are:

Sugars are found naturally in fruits, vegetables, milk, and milk products. Foods such as cakes and cookies have had sugars added. Table sugar also is an added sugar. All of these sugars can be converted in your body to glucose, or blood sugar. Your cells "burn" glucose for energy.

Starches are broken down in your body into sugars. Starches are found in certain vegetables, such as potatoes, beans, peas, and corn. They are also found in breads, cereals, and grains.

Dietary fibers are carbohydrates that your body cannot digest. They pass through your body without being broken down into sugars. Even though your body does not get energy from fiber, you still need fiber to stay healthy. Fiber helps get rid of excess fats in the intestine, which helps prevent heart disease. Fiber also helps push food through the intestines, which helps prevent constipation. Foods high in fiber include fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, nuts, seeds, and whole-grain foods (such as whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, and brown rice).

Healthy and Unhealthy Carbohydrates

In general, you want to limit carbohydrates that increase your blood glucose levels. If your blood glucose stays high for too long, you can develop type 2 diabetes. To keep your blood glucose in check, limit the amount of table sugar you eat. Also, limit foods with added sugars. You can tell if a food has added sugars by looking at the ingredients list on the package. Look for terms such as:

Corn sweetener

Corn syrup

High-fructose corn syrup

Dextrose

Fructose

Glucose

Lactose

Maltose

Sucrose

Honey

Sugar

Brown sugar

Invert sugar

Molasses

Malt syrup

Syrup

You also should limit the amount of white potatoes you eat. Eating white potatoes occasionally is fine because they contain important vitamins and minerals. But your body rapidly digests the starch in white potatoes. This can raise your blood glucose level.

Healthy carbohydrates include:

Natural sugars in fruits, vegetables, milk, and milk products

Dietary fiber

Starches in whole-grain foods, beans, peas, and corn

Additional Resources

Publications

Carbohydrates - This helpful site is links to overviews, news, clinical trials, organizations, and more information about carbohydrates.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/carbohydrates.html

Carbohydrates - This web page has the facts to help you separate the hype from the truth about carbohydrates.

http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpa/nutrition/nutrition_for_everyone/basics/carbohydrates.htm...

Sugar Substitutes: Americans Opt for Sweetness and Lite - This report from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration explains how many people are using sugar substitutes and the controversy that surrounds these compounds. Sugar substitutes include saccharin, aspartame, acesulfame-K, and sucralose.

http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1999/699_sugar.html

Carbohydrates: Good Carbs Guide the Way (Copyright © Harvard School of Public Health) - This fact sheet explains what carbohydrates are, why you needs them, the link between carbohydrates and diabetes, and low carb diets.

http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/carbohydrates-full-story/index.html...

http://www.acsh.org/publications/pubID.1316/pub_detail.asp

Organizations

= Indicates Federal Resources

Content last updated June 17, 2008.