TYPES OF CARBOHYDRATES

Examples of carbohydrates – Talking about carbohydrates cannot be separated from their many benefits. The main benefit of carbohydrates is that they can provide the body with energy, so that the body becomes energized in carrying out its activities. Not only that, it turns out that carbohydrates have a lot of other benefits. However, not everyone knows the benefits of carbohydrates.

For some people, they may only know that carbohydrates are only present in rice. In fact, there are a lot of foods that contain carbohydrates, in addition to rice. For those of you who don't know what foods contain carbohydrates, don't worry because this article will discuss more deeply about carbohydrates and their types.

Types of Carbohydrates

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Carbohydrates can be divided into two types, including simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates. These two types of carbohydrates then have differences in their chemical structure. In general, simple carbohydrates contain only basic sugars that are easily digested as well as absorbed by the body. While complex carbohydrates have a longer sugar arrangement, so it takes longer to be digested and absorbed by the body.

Meanwhile, when viewed from its origin, carbohydrates are then divided into three types, namely:

Starch

Starch is a type of carbohydrate derived from plants. Examples include grains, vegetables, and legumes. Meanwhile, starchy foods that contain starch carbohydrates, such as pasta or noodles and bread.

Fiber

In addition to starch, the next type of carbohydrate is fiber that is generally of plant origin. The fiber content can be found in several foods, such as nuts, vegetables, fruit, wholemeal bread, and so on. Some fruits also have fiber content in the peel, so there are fruits that are eaten along with the peel.

Sugar

Not all carbohydrates are sugars, but all sugars are carbohydrates. Sugar itself can be obtained naturally from various types of food, including fruits (fructose), milk (lactose), and granulated sugar (sucrose). Sugar is often found in the process of making cakes, chocolates, as well as sweets, sucrose is then used as a sweetener.

Examples of Carbohydrates in Some Foods

After knowing some of the benefits of carbohydrates, the discussion in this section will then describe examples of carbohydrates in some foods. So far perhaps we know carbohydrates consist only of rice. There are actually a lot of foods that contain carbohydrates and can be a substitute for rice. Here below are some foods that contain carbohydrates among them:

1. White Rice

This white rice food has been consumed by many Indonesians, so it is familiar. The content in this white rice can be said to be very high or more precisely in 180 grams of rice alone there are 50 grams of carbohydrates in it.

Not only does it contain high carbohydrates, white rice also has several vitamins, such as B1, B2, B3, B6. In addition, there are also some nutrients, such as protein, phosphorus, iron, magnesium, and selenium. Meanwhile, glucose from white rice itself is beneficial for energy sources or the main fuel of the body, especially for the brain.

2. Brown Rice

In addition to white rice, brown rice also contains carbohydrates although not as much as white rice. Therefore, brown rice is considered healthier when compared to white rice. In one cup of brown rice itself there are about 36 grams of carbohydrates. Although this carbohydrate content is lower, but brown rice then has fiber that is beneficial to the body. In fact, brown rice can also function as an antioxidant.

3. Ubi Jalar

Ubi jalar merupakan salah satu makanan tradisional yang bisa dijadikan sebagai sumber karbohidrat. Ubi jalar yang berukuran sedang juga kulitnya mengandung sekitar 23,61 gram. Selain itu, makanan yang satu ini juga dapat menyimpan vitamin A, vitamin C, dan potassium yang sangat bermanfaat bagi kesehatan.