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snagglepuss

(12,704 posts)
Sun Apr 22, 2012, 08:54 PM Apr 2012

Great nutrition site. Exceptionally clear information about carbs, sugars, fiber, fat storage etc

snip

First, the chemistry lesson....

Carbohydrates are those substances composed of molecules of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen (CHO.) Hence the name: Carbo (as in carbon) and hydrate (as in water.) And water, as you probably remember is H2O (hydrogen plus oxygen.)

Carbohydrates which are composed of only one or two molecules are called "sugars." Carbohydrates which are composed of many molecules joined together are called "starches."

snip


There are other types of carbohydrates called sugar alcohols. Manitol, sorbitol, and xylitol are found in small amounts in fruits and vegetables. The calorie content of sugar alcohols is virtually identical to regular sugars, however because they are absorbed so slowly they are treated like artificial sweeteners and often used in "sugarless" gums and candies. The down side of sugar alcohols is that they tend to trigger diarrhea.



http://www.jackiestorm.com/carbohydrates.htm




The blogger is a registered nutritionist who clearly knows her stuff and is not flogging any one approach to lose weight.









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