G's Healthy Food Glossary

G, Are All Carbs Created Equal?

Nope. Carbohydrates (aka carbs) are found in one of three forms: sugars, starches or fiber. Sugars are simple carbs because they're easily broken down into glucose for the body.  The body breaks down most sugars and starches into glucose, a simple sugar that the body can use to feed its cells. Fiber is a complex carbohydrate that is part of plant based foods. Fiber is not normally not digested but instead either absorbs cholesterol or swells to system either Fruits, vegetables, grains, and milk all contain carbs.
  • Sugars - A simple carbohydrate composed of one unit (a monosaccharide, such as glucose and fructose) or two joined units (a disaccharide, such as lactose and sucrose). Sugars include white and brown sugar, fruit sugar, corn syrup, molasses, and honey.
  • Starches - Many glucose units linked together. Examples of foods containing starch include vegetables, dry beans and peas, and grains (brown rice, oats, wheat, barley, corn).
  • Fiber - Nondigestible carbohydrates and lignin that are intrinsic and intact in plants. Fiber consists of dietary fiber, the fiber naturally occurring in foods, and functional fiber, which are isolated, nondigestible carbohydrates that have beneficial physiological effects in humans.


Dietary intake of complex carbohydrates can lower blood cholesterol when they are substituted for saturated fat.
Net carbs are defined as the total grams of carbohydrates in a food minus the grams of carbohydrates from fiber.

"They Say I Gotta Eat Right,
Don't Til You Get Enough!"

American Heart Association
Daily Sugar Recommendations
Women - 100 calories (6 Tbsp)
Men - 150 calories (9 Tbsp)
G, I've Got to Keep it Real.
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