Carbohydrates provide your body with its basic fuel, very
much like a car engine and gasoline. Glucose goes directly
into the cells, which convert it into the energy they need.
There are two types of carbohydrates:
Simple carbohydrates (also called "sugars" on food
package labels): glucose, fructose and galactose are
referred to as monosaccharides. Lactose, sucrose and
maltose are called disaccharides (they contain two
monosaccharides).
Complex carbohydrates ("starches"😉, made up of chains
of glucose molecules, which is simply a way plants store
glucose.
Starches can be found in great quantities in most
grains (wheat, corn, oats, rice) and things like potatoes
and plantains.
Your digestive system breaks a starch back down into
its component glucose molecules so that the glucose
can enter your bloodstream.
A complex carbohydrate is digested more slowly than
simple carbohydrates because it takes longer to break
down a starch.
Complex carbs can be either high in fiber such as
broccoli or low in fiber such as bananas or potatoes.
But carbohydrates are not the only substances the body
uses: it also needs proteins and fats.