Molecules of Life Trivias

Carbs - Did U Know?

* There are four calories in each gram of carbohydrates.

* Nutritionists recommend that complex carbohydrates make up about 50 percent of your diet, so fill your plate with lots of vegetables and whole grain products.

* Simple carbohydrates are high in calories, but lack vitamins and minerals. They're often called "empty calories" because they're not nutritious and will lead to weight gain.

* Deficiency May Lead to: A deficiency of vitamin E. Low energy, poor health, mental depression.

* Overdose May Lead to: Tooth decay, vitamin B deficiency, indigestion, heartburn, and nausea. Excessive use may lead to diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, anemia, and kidney disorders. Many Americans eat too much refined sugar and starches, which creates a paradox of excess and deficiency, since these carbohydrates have no nutritional value and in fact deplete certain minerals.

* There are 3 forms of carbohydrates:

1) Sugars--single (honey, fruits) and double (table sugar). Single sugars are the most easily digested. Sugars are converted to glucose, or blood sugar, for energy.

2) Starches--require long digestive action and, like sugar, are converted to glucose.

3) Cellulose--found in skins of fruits and vegetables, this carbohydrate cannot be digested and has no energy value, but it provides the roughage, or bulk, necessary to prevent constipation, regulate the bowels, and create the intestinal activity that prevents buildup of harmful bacteria in the stomach.

* The U.S. is an overconsumer of carbohydrates, most of them refined. The processing of white flour and white sugar leaves these products without nutritional value. Therefore, people tend to eat more of them to satisfy their natural craving for carbohydrates. The result is a nation suffering from what one nutritionist calls "the White Plague": a high rate of diseases affecting the heart and arteries. According to reports concerning autopsies performed on...