Carbohydrates – Everything you need to know about our energy suppliers

Carbohydrates – Everything you need to know about our energy suppliers

Many fad diets make carbohydrates the villain leading you to believe that they’re the sole reason for unwanted weight gain and a host of other health problems. It is a lesser known fact that eating the right kind acts as a source of healthy fuel, sustained energy and helps you prevent weight gain. Carbohydrates are a part of any healthy diet. It is one of the three macronutrients that we need, primarily for energy. It’s your body’s first source of energy – that’s what it likes to use! Key is to include balance, variety and moderation.

There are two kinds: Complex and Simple Carbohydrates. They each have different effects on our bodies.

Simple Carbohydrates: The kind of carbohydrate that might work mostly against your body!

It is a quick source of energy, wherein your blood sugar level skyrockets and crashes just as fast…

They are simple chemical structure including one (monosaccharides) or two (disaccharides) sugar molecules linked together. Glucose is one of the most well-known monosaccharides, which circulates in blood (known as blood sugar). Fructose is the sweetest kind commonly found in fruits and Galactose commonly found in dairy products. Common example of a disaccharides is your table sugar (Sucrose) found in variety of products and naturally occurring in some fruits and vegetables. Lactose is another disaccharide which is the only source of sugar derived from animals found in all dairy products, as well as whey and casein.

To put simply, they’re found in processed sugar, white flour (maida), sweets, your favorite junk food, sodas etc. Popularly known as empty calories giving you a sudden spike in boost in energy which does not sustain for a longer period of time. This is due to their nature of absorbtion in the blood. Unlike complex carbohydrates, they’re quickly absorbed into the blood stream leading to un-sustained boost in energy which makes you feel tired and crave junk food.

Complex Carbohydrates: The kind of carbohydrate that works for you not against you just like our aktual^TM protein bars.

They’re long chains of carbohydrates (Polysaccharides) commonly found in starchy plant-based foods and fibrous food sources. Glucose units linked together are called Glycogens mainly found in the liver and muscle of the body. Starchy foods contain polysaccharide called amylose/amylopectin plant-based foods like lentils, grains, beans, wheat, barley, rye etc. All complex carbs contain protein, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, iron, B vitamins and fibre.

They digest slowly, require more work and take longer for your body to break down and therefore delivers energy more steadily, keeps you full longer and maintains blood sugar level. Including a good source of carbohydrate in each meal is important to maintain energy levels throughout the day and a great way to do that when you are on the go, feel eating a healthy snack is to binge on our range of aktual^TM protein bars packed with complex carbohydrates giving you your dose of good energy!