Sugars and starches are two forms of Carbohydrate which are broken down and converted into glucose, or blood sugar. Your body needs this to do pretty much everything! Without this energy reserve, you can quickly become very weak and lethergic.
Carbs are often a good source of fiber for your diet, which are essential for managing your weight. High-fiber foods make you feel fuller, quicker, and are generally lower in calories. It's a misconception that carbs cause weight gain. When eaten as part of a balanced diet, carbs, particularly those found in wholegrain foods, can in fact help you lose weight.
Fiber is a Carbohydrate, which aids digestion. Insoluble fiber is the stuff which your body can't break down, which pushes other food along your digestive tract, speeding up the whole process.
It's also better to consume carbs rather than large amounts of protein in the evening, as they are quicker to digest, and ensure your brain isn't working overtime during your sleeping hours.
Fiber prevents cholesterol from accumulating in your arteries, which can be very bad for your heart, and cause severe complications later in life.
It's advised to ensure about a third of the things you eat during the day are starchy foods, and another third are fruit and vegetables. This should ensure you're getting about 30g of fiber a day.
Eating too many carbs can lead to weight gain, as your body will end up with lots of excess energy (and probably fat) which it can't use.
Carbohydrate supplements often come in powder-form, and are used mainly by athletes as a form of quick recovery to exhausted muscles. It's common for people to use these post-workout at the gym, and quickly end up with mass, but not strength, so be careful!
It's always recommended to get carbs from your normal diet, as the foods will be packed with lots of other important nutrients your body needs.
Grains, or foods made from grain flour, like bread, pasta, cereal.
Starchy vegetables like potatoes, peas, corn.
Fruit and fruit juices, milk.
Here are some foods rich in Carbohydrate. (1μg is 0.001mg)