1. Nutrition for Foodservice and Culinary Professionals
Chapter 3
Carbohydrates

2. Introduction to Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are a large class of nutrients including:
sugars
starch
and fibers
that provide most of the energy for your
body.
Most carbohydrates are found in plants.

3. Photosynthesis Most carbohydrate foods are plant foods.
Photosynthesis is a process in which plants use energy from the sunlight to convert carbon dioxide and water to carbohydrate.

4. Types of Carbohydrates
Simple carbohydrates = Sugars
Examples:
Fructose in fruit (natural)
Table sugar (processed)
Complex carbohydrates = Starch
= Fiber
Complex carbs contain chains of many sugars.

5. Simple Carbohydrate (Sugars)
Simple carbohydrates include:
Monosaccharides = single sugar
Examples
Glucose
Fructose
Galactose
Disaccharides = two sugars bonded together

6. Simple Carbohydrates Glucose The most abundant sugar found in nature
Most important source of energy for us and for plants
Blood glucose level—vital to health and having energy
Found in fruits and honey (and many plant foods)
Fructose
The sweetest natural sugar
Found in fruits and also in honey
Found in high fructose corn syrup used in sodas, candy, and other foods
Galactose
Found in milk linked to glucose
The sugar in milk is not very sweet

7. Disaccharides = Double Sugars
Sucrose = table sugar
Lactose = milk sugar

8. Sucrose = White Sugar
Raw sugar is made from sugar cane and sugar beets. This raw sugar must be further refined for human consumption.
White sugar provides virtually no nutrients for its 16 kcalories/teaspoon.

9. Relative Sweetness of Sugars and Artificial Sweeteners

10. Added Sugars and How They Affect Your Health
You find added sugars in:
Beverages: soda, fruit drinks, sweetened teas and lemonade, and many sports drinks, vitamin waters, and energy drink
Desserts and snacks: cookies, cake, ice cream, baked goods
Sweet pickles, ketchup
Sugar and high-fructose corn syrup are equally harmful in excess.

11. Examples of Added Sugars
Confectioner’s sugar
Molasses
White and brown sugar
Maple and turbinado sugar
Fructose
Corn syrup
High-fructose corn syrup
Honey
Maple syrup
Brown rice syrup
Agave nectar/syrup

12. Functions of Sugar in Cooking/Baking
Sugar helps balance the acidity of ingredients such as tomatoes and vinegar.
Sugar browns the crust in baking.
Sugar helps retain moisture in baked goods so they stay fresh.
Sugar affects texture, tenderizing in baked goods.
Sugar acts as a food for yeast in breads.

13. One teaspoon sugar = 4 grams
“Sugars” on the Nutrition Facts panel includes natural and added sugars. If the label says “40 grams” under sugar, then:
40 grams of sugar = 10 teaspoons sugar
4 grams sugar/1 teaspoon

14. Complex Carbohydrates
Includes starch and fiber
Facts about starch:
Plants store glucose in the form of starch.
Starch is a chain of hundreds to thousands of glucose molecules linked together.
Starch is only found in plant foods.

15. Which foods contain starch?
Grains: wheat, corn, rice, rye, barley, oats
Root and tuber vegetables: beets, carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes
Dried beans, peas, and lentils: navy beans, split peas

16. Starches as Thickeners
When heated in liquid, starch gelatinizes.
Gelatinization is a process unique to starches, and so you find starches frequently used as thickeners in soups, sauces, gravies, puddings, and other foods.

17. Fibers
Like starches, fibers are long chains of glucose units bonded together.
Unlike starches, fiber can’t be broken down by human digestive enzymes.
Some fiber (called soluble fiber) is digested by bacteria in the large intestine.

18. Which foods contain fiber?
Dried beans, peas, and lentils
Fruits and vegetables
Whole grains
Nuts and seeds
Fiber is not found in meat, poultry, fish, dairy
products, or eggs.

19. Total fiber = Dietary fiber (naturally in foods) + Functional fibers
Functional fibers: fibers extracted from plants and then added to foods such as bread, cereal, yogurt, and juices.
Examples: Oat fiber, wheat bran, vegetable gums, cellulose, maltodextrin, resistant starch

20. Whole Grains

21. Whole Grains (cont’d)
Whole grains contain the fiber-rich bran and the vitamin-rich germ:
Whole wheat
Brown rice
Whole wheat bread
Wheaties
Oatmeal
If the bran and germ are removed, the grain is a refined or milled grain:
White flour
White rice
White bread
Corn flakes
Most baked goods

22. Whole Grains (cont’d)

23. Whole grains have more nutrients!
Whole wheat flour has more…
Fiber
Vitamin E
Vitamin B6
Magnesium
Zinc
Potassium
Copper
Phytochemicals
...than white flour.

24. Refined grains are enriched.
By federal law, refined grain are enriched with five nutrients that are lost in processing:
Thiamin
Riboflavin
Niacin
Folate
Iron

25. Functions of Carbohydrates
#1 source of energy for body (glucose)—brain and nerve cells almost completely rely on glucose for energy.
Burning glucose for energy spares protein.
Burning fat for energy without carbohydrates can be harmful to the body.
You need at least 130 grams of carbohydrates daily to prevent protein and fat from being burned for fuel. You normally eat half your kcalories as carbohydrates.

26. Functions of Carbohydrate (cont’d)
Carbohydrates are found in parts of the body including connective tissues, some hormones and enzymes, and genetic material.
If you eat a lot of fiber, it helps
Lower blood cholesterol
Reduce blood pressure
Decrease the risk of developing diabetes
Keep blood sugar normal
Promote regularity
Lower body weights

27. Glycogen
Glycogen: The storage form of glucose in the body; stored in the liver and muscles.
Muscle glycogen is only used to supply energy for muscles.

28. Digestion, Absorption, and Glycemic Response
During digestion, enzymes break down starch and disaccharides into sugar units that are then absorbed.
Fiber is not broken down by enzymes. Some bacteria in the large intestine can digest soluble fiber.
Soluble fiber slows the emptying of the stomach.

29. Glycemic Response
How quickly, how high, and how long your blood sugar level rises after eating
A low glycemic response (meaning your blood sugar rises slowly and not too high) is preferable to a high glycemic response BECAUSE it may decrease your risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

30. Glycemic Response (cont’d)
Several factors influence:
Amount of carbohydrate eaten
Type of sugar or starch
Presence of fat, protein, fiber (all these slow down the emptying of the stomach)

31. The higher a food’s glycemic load, the higher your blood glucose goes up.
High Glycemic Load:
Chocolate cake with frosting, white rice, spaghetti, French fries, cola, jelly beans
Medium Glycemic Load
Raisin Bran cereal, brown rice, banana, apple juice, white bread, pretzels
Low Glycemic Load
Whole wheat bread, All-Bran cereal, apple/orange/peach/grapes, peas/carrots, legumes

32. Dietary Recommendations for Carbohydrates
Americans get enough carbohydrate:
45 to 65 percent of total kcalories.
But we eat too many:
Added sugars in beverages, desserts, and candy
Refined grains such as
white flour in bread or white rice
And we eat too little:
Vegetables and fruits
Whole grains such as whole wheat
Milk and milk products
Beans, peas, and lentils

33. Milk, fruit, and grains, are healthy carbohydrates, along with vegetables and beans.

34. Carbohydrate Recommendations (cont’d)
Adequate Intake for total fiber is:
25 grams/day for women (21 g after 50)
38 grams/day for men (30 g after 50)
Eat 14 grams of fiber for every 1,000 kcalories.

35. To Increase Fiber in Your Diet:
Instead of:
White bread…
Rice Krispies…
White pasta…
Baked goods with white flour…
Fruit juices…
White rice…
Meat/cheese sandwich…
Choose:
Whole-grain bread
Whole-grain cereals
Whole-wheat pasta
Baked goods with whole-wheat flour
Fresh/canned fruits
Brown rice
Sandwich with vegetables/peanut butter

36. Lactose Intolerance
Lactase (enzyme) is deficient so lactose (milk sugar) is not split into its components in the small intestines.
Instead it travels to the colon (large intestine), where it attracts water and causes bloating and diarrhea.
In addition, intestinal bacteria ferment lactose and produce gas.
Symptoms usually occur within 30 minutes to 2 hours and clear up within 2 to 5 hours.

37. Who is more likely to suffer from lactose intolerance?
Asians
Native Americans
African Americans
Latinos

38. Treatment for Lactose Intolerance
Use lactose-free milk and milk products. Or use lactase as a liquid or tablet.
Consume small portions of dairy with a meal containing fat and protein.
Choose dairy products naturally lower in lactose, such as yogurt and hard cheeses such as Cheddar.
Soymilk and rice milk are fine.
Don’t forget that milk is the leading source of calcium & vit. D in the diet.

39. Hot Topic: Alternative Sweeteners
Nonnutritive or artificial sweeteners (provide virtually no kcal)
Saccharin (Sweet N’Low, Sweet Twin)
Aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal)
Acesulfame potassium (Sunett, Sweet One)
Sucralose (Splenda)
Neotame
Stevia

40. Sugar Replacers
A group of carbohydrates that are sweet and occur naturally in plants.
Examples: Sorbitol and xylitol found in sugar- free gums and candy

41. Benefits of Sugar Replacers
Don’t provide as many kcalories as sugar—only about 2 kcal/gram.
Don’t promote tooth decay.
Taste sweet—though not as sweet as sugar.
Add bulk and texture to foods.
Cause smaller increases in blood sugar and insulin than sugar.
Large amounts of sugar replacers can have a laxative effect.

42. Sugar Replacers in Foods
Chewing gums
Chocolate
Candies
Frozen desserts such as ice cream
Baked goods
Salad dressings
Beverages
Other foods designed to be lower in kcalories, carbohydrates, and/or fat