What Are Carbohydrates?

What Are Carbohydrates? — page 1 — What are Carbohydrates The body gets fuel from chemicals and other substances that provide energy Carbohydrates carbs as people sometimes call them are the main sources of energy for most people Sugar starch and cellulose are important forms of carbohydrates There are different kinds of sugar The body needs certain types of natural sugar in regular amounts Fruit honey and milk contain natural sugars Other types of sugar are made by processing methods Processed sugars are not necessary for human health They are used largely as sweeteners for other types of food Raisins prunes apricots and dates are examples of foods that contain natural sugar 4

What Are Carbohydrates? — page 2 — Starch is another form of carbohydrate Corn is a common dinner item that contains starch Starch is produced by green plants Corn wheat rice and other grains contain starch So do such vegetables as potatoes and beans Cellulose is a type of fiber contained Vocabulary Cellulose is the basic part of the structure of plant cell walls in plants Humans cannot digest dietary fiber but fiber is important because it keeps the digestive system active Whatever sources they come from carbohydrates are vital for human health But it is important for people to understand the sources and to favor good carbs over bad carbs 5

What Are Carbohydrates? — page 3 — hoW Carbohydrates are Created This is a scientific model of a chemical compound called glucose Glucose is a type of carbohydrate The word carbohydrate is formed from the words carbon and hydrogen That is because carbohydrates are combinations of the chemical elements carbon and hydrogen plus oxygen The process of combining elements produces what scientists call a chemical compound In the natural world carbohydrates are the most common chemical compounds used for food 6

What Are Carbohydrates? — page 4 — Photosynthesis Sunlight Sunlight enters plants through their leaves Plants convert sunlight into energy and store it in their fruit which animals consume HI Carbon Dioxide Plant Sugars THINK ABOUT IT Why do scientists call carbohydrates naturally occurring chemical compounds Minerals and Water A process called photosynthesis produces carbohydrates and other compounds In photosynthesis plants convert energy from sunlight into chemical energy Plants store this energy in the form of carbohydrates Humans and other animals that eat plants take in these carbohydrates as nutrients that are necessary for growth and good health Photosynthesis is an example of why the sun is so important for life on Earth It is much more than a source of natural heat and light It also interacts with plant life to provide nourishing food for humans

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