Carbohydrates are sugar of various types that provide our body with energy. Carbohydrates provide 4 calories for each gram of weight. There are two main types of carbohydrates:
- Simple carbohydrates
- Complex carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates are short chains of sugars known as monosaccharides (glucose, fructose and galactose) and disaccharides (sucrose, lactose and maltose).
Foods that contains simple carbohydrates:
- fruits (sucrose)
- vegetables (sucrose)
- table sugar (sucrose)
- breast milk (lactose)
- cow’s milk (lactose)
- milk products (lactose)
- wheat (maltose)
- barley (maltose)
Complex Carbohydrates
Complex carbohydrates are longer chains of sugars known as polysaccharides. Fiber is a very important polysaccharides that we need for our health.
Foods that contains simple carbohydrates:
- rice
- vegetables
- beans
- potatoes
Foods that are high in carbohydrates:
| Food / 100g | Amount (g) |
| Rice | 80 |
| Raisins, seedless | 79 |
| Barley, pearled, raw | 78 |
| White wheat flour, all-purpose | 76 |
| Oat bran, raw | 66 |
| White chocolate | 59 |
| Condensed milk | 54 |
| Roasted chestnuts | 53 |
| Rhubarb, frozen, cooked, with sugar | 31 |
| Spaghetti, cooked without added salt | 31 |
| Plums, dried (prunes), stewed, without added sugar | 28 |
| Spaghetti, whole-wheat, cooked | 27 |
| Raspberries, frozen, sweetened | 26 |
| Strawberries, frozen, sweetened | 26 |
| Egg Noodles, cooked | 25 |
| Couscous, cooked | 23 |
| Bananas | 23 |
| Red kidney beans, boiled without salt | 23 |
| Chickpeas, canned | 23 |
| Blueberries, frozen, sweetened | 22 |
| Baked potato with flesh and skin | 21 |
| Sweet potato, canned | 21 |
| Lentils, boiled without salt | 21 |
| Sweet corn | 19 |
| Canned tomato paste, without salt added | 19 |
| Asian pears | 11 |
| Papayas | 10 |
Ideal Amounts of Carbohydrates in the Diet
| Nutrients | Children, 1-3 year old | Children, 4-18 year old | Adults |
| Fat | 30-40% of the total energy intake | 25-35% of the total energy intake | 25-35% of the total energy intake |
| Carbohydrates | 45-65% | 45-65% | 45-65% |
| Protein | 5-20% | 10-30% | 10-35% |
How Much Carbohydrates Should You Eat
