Carbohydrates:

The word carbohydrate--or 'carbs' for short--gets thrown around a lot not only between diabetics and medical professionals, but also weight trainers, coaches and dietary experts.  Sometimes fad diets come around saying to eliminate carbs altogether, or to mostly eat low glycemic index carbs and very little meat, or many other odd dietary restrictions.  But what are these enigmatic nutritional foods designated as carbs?  What is a carb?

Carbohydrates are one of the three primary ways the body gets energy, the other two being fats and proteins.  Fats, of course, are quite annoying for those trying to diet and lose weight, but are necessary to some degree for joint movement, insulation during winter or in cold environments, as well as helping a body to have more ease floating or swimming in general.  Proteins mostly come from meat, legumes and nuts, and are needed for muscle growth and retention, as well as providing a lot of energy with less side-effects than carbohydrates if the protein comes from lean sources.  Carbs, on the other hand, come from fiber, sugars and other sources.  Now, a human needs glucose for the regulation of almost all of the bodily organs, including the controlling organ, the brain.  Glucose is a type of sugar that the body easily absorbs but takes time to break down, providing steady energy over a long period of time.  Other sugars, sucrose, dextrose, maltose, fructose, lactose and others, are more complex and the body needs to use more energy to break them down, though fructose is easier than most others in this regard.  They do provide more energy, but as a result of the digestion process, most of that sugar gets absorbed too quickly and causes a sugar rush as well as raising the blood sugar levels.  Now, any form of carb can raise the blood sugar levels, but certain types of carbs don't raise it as much.  Fibers, being the third type of carb, are essentially filler, taking a lot longer to digest than even glucose, and sometimes are unable to be absorbed at all, leaving a fullness sensation for longer.  Sugar alcohols, on the other hand, taste sweet without being as risky as complex sugars, but on the other hand are more difficult to digest and may leave some people quite gassy if consumed in large quantities.

Total carbohydrate count is looked at for when a diabetic or dieting person wants to calculate out how many carbs a meal has.  Of course, they should also check the calories for weight loss, but maintaining a relatively stable carb dispersal will keep them feeling full for longer while still providing them the energy they need to perform daily tasks and exercise.  The total carbohydrate count, however, can be lessened when calculating for how it affects the blood sugar.  Fiber, as mentioned earlier, is harder to digest while making a person feel more full.  The amount of fiber in a meal can be cut in half and subtracted from the total carbohydrate count.  Likewise, sugar alcohols are less trouble, but should only be cut into one-third and have that subtracted from the total carbohydrate count.  The average individual should have about 225 to 675 carbs in any given day.  Exceeding or going under this amount is generally not recommended as it tends to shift one's blood sugar levels into hypoglycemia or hyperglycemia respectively.  Technically the total amount should be calculated respective to an individual's weight, height, age and gender (because yes, women do tend to have more difficulty with blood sugar levels, especially during or after pregnancy, due to hormonal shifts affecting insulin levels), however as a general rule of thumb it is best to stay somewhere between those values and look to cut the total calorie count instead of carb count if somewhere in the middle.