Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the main supplier of energy for our body. Foods that contain healthy carbohydrates are potatoes, rice, pasta, legumes, fruits, vegetables and cereals. Meat, fish, and poultry do not contain carbohydrates in them. There are different forms of carbohydrates:

English Name	Latin Name	Example
Single Sugars	Monosachariden	Fructose Glucose Galactose
Double Sugars	Disachariden	Sucrose Lactose Maltose
Multiple Sugars	Polysachariden	Starch

Single Sugars

Examples of simple carbohydrates/single sugars are sweets, chips, cake, pastries, fruit, etc. Simple carbohydrates are often industrial, and almost all beneficial nutrients are extracted from it. They are also called empty carbohydrates. They are quickly absorbed into the body (blood) and deliver energy quickly. Thanks to the rapid absorption, simple carbohydrates ensure a rapid increase and decrease in blood sugar levels. This is also called the "sugar rush". People often feel tired, hungry and limp. The probability of fat storage in simple carbohydrates is great because they are absorbed directly into the blood. What the body cannot use is stored as fat.

Multiple Sugars

Also known as multiple carbohydrates/compound carbohydrates. Examples are beans, brown rice, whole wheat bread etc. For multiple carbohydrates, our body needs to do much more effort to ensure that the carbohydrates are converted into energy. Multiple carbohydrates occur mainly in natural raw foods. Often it is in line so that the less modified the carbohydrate is, the more complex it is.

Our blood sugar levels remain stable with multiple carbohydrates; it does not have the spikes and valleys as with single carbohydrates. Because our body needs more time, there is a great chance that no excess fat storage is produced, but that everything is used in the liver and the muscles.

Carbohydrates and Blood Sugar Levels

As mentioned, single and multiple carbohydrates have an effect on our blood sugar levels. But what is the blood sugar level? During the digestive process, carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, which is then absorbed into our blood. The blood transports the glucose to our cells after which it is eventually converted to energy. The body strives for as little blood sugar fluctuations as possible. It is therefore important to know which different foods are fluctuating blood sugar levels and to what extent.

The Glycaemic Index

The glycaemic index says something about the rate at which carbohydrates are digested and stored as glucose. Here are the examples:

Low glycaemic index (less than 55): among other legumes, pasta, dairy, certain types of fruit like apples and oranges.
Moderate glycaemic index (between 55 and 70): couscous, muesli, certain types of fruit like mango and pineapple.
High glycaemic index (over 70): among other potatoes, white, brown and whole wheat bread, processed grain products and rice. (Source: Nutrition Center)

However, the glycaemic value can differ by the preparation of a product. Examples include boiled potatoes or fried potatoes.

Recommended Daily Amount of Carbohydrates

The Health Council recommends for adults an intake of 40 to 70% of all calories. If you get too few carbohydrates, the body uses muscle protein as an energy source. That is what you want to avoid, because that is at the expense of your muscles. If more than 70% of all calories come from carbohydrates, this can lead to a shortage of fats and proteins. Dietary fibers also belong to the carbohydrates category; however, they are not absorbed by the body. They are, though, still very important for proper digestion and bowel surgery.

Proteins

Proteins are a nutrient and are also considered to be the building blocks of our body. Apart from water, proteins are most present in our body. Proteins are essential for growth, development and preservation of our bodies. Important protein sources are:

Vegetable protein sources: bread, cereals, legumes, nuts, soy and mushrooms.
Animal protein sources: meat, fish, poultry, milk products, eggs.

Only proteins from egg, soy, quinoa and hemp seed contain all the essential proteins.

Functions of Proteins in Our Body

Maintenance, Growth and Recovery. Our body consists of a large part of tissues. Tissue is the whole of cells from which organs are composed. These cells constantly renew; the body breaks down proteins to replace it with new proteins. This way the body knows how to replace damaged proteins. Take for example a wound on your arm; The body converts additional proteins in order to restore the damaged tissue (the skin). Or athletes who excite muscles to grow. Because proteins provide growth, it is therefore very important for children to have a well-balanced diet, as they are still full of growth.

Amino Acids. Food proteins are broken down by the digestive system into a basic component, amino acids. Since a large part of our cells, muscles and tissue consists of amino acids, they take many important functions in our body. They give cell structure and are crucial in the transportation and storage of nutrients. In addition, they influence the functions of organs and are essential in wound healing and tissue repair. These amino acids are then absorbed by the cells in our body. There are 22 different amino acids of which our body cannot create nine of them.

All necessary amino acids must be present in our body, all at once and in the right quantity. Only then can they be transformed into a full-bodied protein by our bodies. The body absorbs proteins from food and breaks it down into individual amino acids during digestion. They are then absorbed into the blood by the intestines. In the body there is continual buildup and breakdown of proteins.

Protein Quality

Before a body can absorb dietary proteins in the body they will need to be cleared first. This clearing of the proteins is done by digestion. In the case of products that are less well-digested for the body, proteins are less well-off than in products that are easier to digest.

As an example: Some vegetable proteins, such as those of legumes, are more difficult for the body to digest than proteins from milk products.

The PDCAAS is used to calculate the protein quality. This is an abbreviation for a long name: Protein Digestability-Corrected Amino Acid Score. For foods that are less digestible, proteins are also less easy to release, such as legumes, which are more difficult to digest in the body than, for example, milk. The easier the foods digested by our body, the easier the proteins release. As an example, milk can be digestible for 100%, and legumes are only for 80%. In addition, you have the amino acid score of proteins. The more the proportions of amino acids correspond to the human tissues, the better the body can use the foodstuff.

Recommended Daily Amount of Proteins

The Netherlands Health Council states that healthy people per kilogram of body weight require an average of 0.8 grams of protein per day and that at least 10% of all calories must be derived from protein. The exact need depends on body weight, age and conditions. For example, a vegetarian will need to extract more proteins from food in order to get enough amino acids. A child is still in full growth and will need more proteins for this. The need varies from person to person. One person has more muscle tissue than the other.

A deficiency of protein intake can lead to breakdown of muscle tissue. This happens especially when the body gets less energy than it needs. In the long term this can lead to a lack of muscular strength and reduced resistance. In children this can even lead to growth disorders.

Basic Guidelines for Nutrition and Hydration – 1

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