Carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are your body’s main ‘raw energy’ source, fuelling your every movement from breathing in and out to running for your bus in the morning.

Nutrition experts agree that a carbohydrate-rich diet will help keep you going for longer between meals and help you fight fatigue throughout the day. How? Because carbohydrate foods contain fibre, they make you feel fuller and less prone to hunger pangs during the day.

Your body can’t store or produce its own carbohydrate in any great quantity, however, so it’s essential you eat carbohydrate every day as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Carbohydrates and weight management

Because of the publicity surrounding low carbohydrate diets in recent years, something of a misconception has arisen that carbohydrates are fattening. In actual fact, they contain just less than half the calories of fat and more often than not, it’s the fatty spreads and rich sauces people have with their bread, potatoes, rice or pasta that loads them up with calories.

What’s more, current scientific evidence shows that people who eat a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet that’s rich in fruit and vegetables are less likely to be overweight or obese.

Foods rich in carbohydrates

Carbohydrate foods can be unrefined or refined.

Good sources of carbohydrates include:

• All types of breakfast cereals.
• All types of bread, pasta, rice and potatoes.
• Peas, beans, lentils and chickpeas.
• Fruit - fresh, dried or canned.
• Some vegetables – parsnips, sweetcorn, beetroot.
• Jam, honey and other preserves.