Pastas are foods rich in carbohydrates.
The first step we are going to take is to know the etymological origin of the term carbohydrates that concerns us now. Specifically, we have to state that it is a word that derives from Greek, specifically it is the result of the sum of two lexical components of said language:
-The noun "glykys", which can be translated as "sweet."
-The suffix "-ido", which is used in the field of chemistry to refer to "derived from".
This is the name given to the organic substance composed of oxygen , hydrogen and carbon , in which the first two elements appear in a proportion of two to one.
What are carbohydrates?
Also called carbohydrates or carbohydrates , carbohydrates are biomolecules that provide energy to living beings, either for immediate use or for storage. These molecules have covalent bonds that are difficult to break.
Thanks to carbohydrates, people obtain the energy necessary to develop their neuronal and muscular activity. That is why athletes usually consume foods with high amounts of carbohydrates (such as pasta ), since they help them carry out intense physical efforts. Carbohydrates also allow body temperature and blood pressure to remain stable.
Carbohydrates, therefore, must always be present in the diet because they are a source of energy . Although many believe that these substances cause weight gain, in reality what makes you fat is excess calories (calories that are not burned become fat).
Carbohydrates are a source of energy.
Its importance for the body
In addition to providing energy to the body, carbohydrates are considered necessary to be present in anyone's diet if they want to have a healthy, complete and balanced diet. And these elements bring with them another important series of benefits, among which the following stand out:
-They help muscle development.
-They allow cholesterol levels to be kept under control.
-They promote heart health.
-They help the brain to be in the best conditions.
-In the same way, we must not overlook that another important benefit of carbohydrates being present in the diet is that they help reduce or prevent situations such as anxiety, stress and even depression. They achieve this because they promote the production of serotonin.
-Likewise, it must be taken into account that prolonged and controlled consumption of certain carbohydrates favors not only the burning of fat but also weight loss. This would be the case, for example, of foods like oats.
Classification of carbohydrates
According to their characteristics, we can distinguish between various classes of carbohydrates. The simplest ones, which have a single molecule, are called monosaccharides . In this group we can find ribose and glucose . Carbohydrates made up of two monosaccharides, such as sucrose and lactose , are known as disaccharides .
When carbohydrate has between three and nine monosaccharide molecules , it is called oligosaccharide . There are also polysaccharides , whose structure is made up of ten or more monosaccharides.