The Science of Weight Loss: How we gain and lose weight

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the major macronutrient in a normal diet – making up almost 50% of an average daily energy intake. They are built from units called monosaccharides, or sugars.

Glucose is the most common of these. Carbohydrates are used mostly to produce the energy to run the body, including muscle and brain functions.

Carbohydrate foods include:

• Potatoes
• Pasta
• Fruit
• Rice
• Bread
• Oats
• Beans
• Sugar
• Milk

While sugar is a carbohydrate food and can be used by the body for energy just like pasta or rice, it does not contain any other nutrients and is not a good source of food energy.

next: Fats & Oils
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