Carbohydrates – What is it? Sources, What are the Benefits?
Carbohydrates – What is it? What are the Benefits? What is it? Deficiency of Carbohydrates and aliments rich in Carbohydrates that you need know. Carbohydrates are present in many foods that you can consume daily and still do not know. Reducing consumption is a way to maintain and stimulate the health of your body. One option is through the low carbohydrate diet, which helps to improve blood sugar levels. Learn where to start cutting those foods out of your diet.
Glycogen, for example, is a carbohydrate stored in the liver and muscles of animals, being its main source of energy. Chitin is a carbohydrate with a structural function, constituting the exoskeleton of arthropods. That’s it! Carbohydrates, besides energy function, have the structural function of some organisms.
Foods Rich in Carbohydrates: We list below a list of the main foods rich in carbohydrates:
- Foods made from whole meal that contain fiber, satiate and have low glycemic index (pasta, cakes, breads, biscuits)
- Brown rice
- Whole grains (corn, oats, quinoa, amaranth, wheat, barley)
- Potato
- Sweet potato
- Manioc
- Yam
- Honey
- Tapioca
- Pea
- Beans (of all types)
- Soy
- Chickpeas
- Seeds and nuts, dried fruits, nuts, peanuts, almonds, etc.
- Fruit, banana, mango, apple, peach, red fruit, etc.
- Green leafy vegetables (spinach, cabbage, etc.),
- Vegetables such as broccoli, carrots, pods, zucchini, artichokes, tomatoes etc.
- Popcorn
- Linseed
When the Carbohydrates are consumed in the right amount, it brings a variety of Health Benefits, see more about Carbohydrates and Learn What It Is, Sources and What are the Benefits of Carbohydrates.
Benefits of Carbohydrates to Provide Energy and Disposition: Carbohydrate is the main source of energy for the body’s functioning. After consuming foods with this nutrient, this substance is digested by enzymes and broken down into glucose molecules.
Under the action of hormones, glucose is absorbed by the cells and released when the body needs it. And we need energy and disposition all the time, whether to breathe, study or practice physical activity.
Benefits of Carbohydrates to Contribute to Good Mood: Carbohydrate is an important nutrient for maintaining proper levels of serotonin in the body. It enables the maintenance of the degree of glucose and insulin in the blood, which are needed to make tryptophan more available to form serotonin.
This substance is important for the proper functioning of the nervous system, with several functions, including mood regulation. Low levels of this element can negatively influence mood.
Benefits of Carbohydrates to Improve Memory: Carbohydrates when digested are converted to glucose, the main source of energy for the brain. Having a poor diet of this nutrient is related to a worsening of memory and lack of attention.
Benefits of Carbohydrates to Fight Insomnia: At night, a meal rich in carbohydrate and low in protein may facilitate the uptake of tryptophan and its conversion into serotonin in the brain. This substance also regulates the sleep cycle, and in adequate amounts it can induce drowsiness.
Benefits of Carbohydrates for Reducing Cholesterol: Carbohydrates contained in fruits, vegetables and oat bran, for example, help in reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) because the fibers that constitute them bind to fat, preventing its absorption by the body.
Benefits of Carbohydrates for Brain Health: The brain is one of the organs that do not work without glucose available in the bloodstream, when there is a decrease in the consumption of this nutrient there is an exaggerated production of ketone bodies, since the body uses proteins as a source of energy.
These ketone bodies can lead to intoxication in the individual leading to undesirable symptoms such as headaches, bad breath, loss of skeletal muscle mass, insomnia, mood swings, tremors and even fainting.
Benefits of Carbohydrates for Managing PMS Symptoms: Premenstrual Tension (PMS) is a set of symptoms that occur a few days before menstruation. These signs include changes in mood, anxiety, sadness, irritability, difficulty concentrating, changes in appetite and compulsion for sweets.
Complex carbohydrates, found in whole grain breads, pasta and brown rice, are digested and absorbed more slowly by the body and maintains stable levels of glucose in the blood. This decreases the craving for sweets and increases the availability of tryptophan, which is essential for forming serotonin. This substance is responsible for good mood, which is altered in this premenstrual period.
Benefits of Carbohydrates in Bodybuilding: Carbohydrate consumption is essential for performing general physical exercises mostly bodybuilding. High-intensity physical exercises require a stiffness that no carbohydrate is possible. Therefore, it is extremely important to carry out the consumption of carbohydrate and protein before performing your training in the gym.
Signs of Carbohydrate Deficiency: The body needs energy to perform the basic tasks, such as synthesizing hormones and keeping the brain active – and that energy comes from the carbohydrate. Therefore, when we move away from the dish, the first symptoms that appear are moodiness, headache and dizziness.
The body spends up to 600 calories daily just to keep the brain functioning. An organ, in fact, that “feeds” basically glucose, present in carbohydrates – hence it is one of those who suffer most from this deprivation. More: if there is energy restriction, the body goes into a kind of economic way, slowing the metabolism to save calories.