Natural Sources of Carbohydrates

By far, the best place to get the carbohydrates that your body needs is from natural sources. While carbohydrate supplements can be valuable for individuals that have severe deficiencies, consuming as many carbohydrates as possible from natural whole food sources is the most healthy approach for the human body.

Provided in this article are good natural sources of carbohydrates that you can enjoy every day. Please use this article as a reference if you are having a difficult time deciding on which foods to eat to get your daily requirement of carbohydrates.

Carbohydrates are the primary source of energy for the human body. The human body will breakdown carbohydrates before any other nutrient type to utilize as energy to fuel the body so that it can perform the various processes required to sustain life. Consuming enough carbohydrates is important as your body will turn to protein if it depletes it's sources of carbohydrates.

Individuals should consume a diet that consists of around 3.6 grams of carbohydrates for each pound of body weight every day. This requirement makes up the majority of your caloric intake.

Some important things to keep in mind:

• Always choose natural, fresh products with little or no preservatives/unnatural additives over canned or processed products.

• Try to select products that contain no added sugar and do not list high fructose corn syrup as one of the first 5 ingredients.

• Cooking fruits and vegetables may cause nutrients to be removed. Eat raw if you can.

• Canning beans, vegetables, etc. may cause nutrients to be removed. Eat fresh if you can.

• Try choosing snack foods that are as low in sodium as possible.

• Avoid putting too much butter on your popcorn to avoid excess fat and cholesterol.

Natural Sources of Carbohydrates
Food Item	Serving Size	# of Carbohydrates
Apple Juice	1 cup	29 carbohydrates
Apples	1 medium	32 carbohydrates
Applesauce	1/2 cup	14 carbohydrates
Bagel, white	1 large	48 carbohydrates
Bagel, whole wheat	1 large	56 carbohydrates
Bananas	1 medium	28 carbohydrates
Beans, black	1/2 cup	22 carbohydrates
Beans, garbanzo	1/2 cup	22 carbohydrates
Beans, green	1/2 cup	4 carbohydrates
Beans, pinto	1/2 cup	22 carbohydrates
Bread, white	1 slice	12 carbohydrates
Bread, whole wheat	1 slice	13 carbohydrates
Cantaloupe	1 wedge	6 carbohydrates
Carrots	1/2 cup	8 carbohydrates
Cereal, Corn Flakes	1 cup	24 carbohydrates
Cereal, oatmeal	1 cup	25 carbohydrates
Cereal, Raisin Bran	1 cup	46 carbohydrates
Corn	1/2 cup	16 carbohydrates
Crackers	8 crackers	17 carbohydrates
Crackers, whole wheat	8 crackers	27 carbohydrates
Frozen yogurt	1 cup	37 carbohydrates
Grape juice	1 cup	25 carbohydrates
Grapes	1 cup	28 carbohydrates
Green peas	1/2 cup	11 carbohydrates
Milk, chocolate, low-fat	1 cup	26 carbohydrates
Milk, skim	1 cup	12 carbohydrates
Orange juice	1 cup	24 carbohydrates
Oranges	1 medium	16 carbohydrates
Pasta, white	1 cup, cooked	40 carbohydrates
Pasta, whole wheat	1 cup, cooked	37 carbohydrates
Pears	1 medium	25 carbohydrates
Pineapple	1/2 cup	9 carbohydrates
Popcorn	1 cup	19 carbohydrates
Potatoes	1/2 cup	26 carbohydrates
Potatoes, sweet	1/2 cup	34 carbohydrates
Pretzels	1 oz	23 carbohydrates
Pudding, low-fat	1/2 cup	34 carbohydrates
Raisins	2 Tbsp.	15 carbohydrates
Rice, brown	1 cup, cooked	45 carbohydrates
Rice, white	1 cup, cooked	44 carbohydrates
Strawberries	1/2 cup	5 carbohydrates
Watermelon	1 slice	21 carbohydrates
Yogurt, low-fat	1 cup	46 carbohydrates

Types of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates can be divided into two primary groups: simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates (i.e. simple sugars) are comprised one or two sugar molecules (mono- or di- saccharides) and are digested within a short period of time by the human body. For instance, fructose is a simple carbohydrate and is commonly found in a variety of fruit juices. Since fructose is a simple carbohydrate, the energy it provides to the body is short in duration.

Complex carbohydrates are composed of more than two sugar molecules (polysaccharides) and are digested fairly slowly by the human body. For example, starches are a more complex carbohydrate (i.e. potatoes, whole grains...). Complex carbohydrates require a longer period of time to be "broken down" and hence, provide long-term fuel for your body and are healthier than simple carbohydrates. For this reason, whenever possible, replacing simple carbohydrates with complex carbohydrates is a healthier dietary approach that also better supports weight loss and weight stabilization. Read here - http://scensundsvall.se/

Carbohydrates are the human body’s preferred source of energy. In fact, the human body stores approximately 400 grams of carbohydrates, in the form of glycogen, in its liver and muscle tissue.

Glycogen is then used to provide the human body with energy. In addition, carbohydrates are the sole source of energy for the brain and for red blood cells. This fact explains why individuals that consume a low carbohydrate diet typically feel tired and have difficulty concentrating and/or performing complex mental tasks.

Carbohydrates are primarily found in plant foods (i.e., fruits, vegetables and grain based products), however, at lower levels, carbohydrates can also be found in dairy products as well. The number of carbohydrates present in a food is measured in grams and 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories.