NTRI2000 Chapter 4 Notes

Meredith Elwood

NRTI 2000

Chapter 4 Notes



Carbohydrates:

● Contain ideal nutrients that

○ Meets the body’s energy needs

○ Feed the brain and nervous system

○ Keep the digestive system fit

○ Keep your body lean

● Can be digestible and indigestible

● Complex carbohydrates

○ Starch and fiber

● Simple carbohydrates

○ Sugars

● Carbs contain the sun’s radiant energy

● Green plants make carbohydrates

○ Photosynthesis - the process in which green plants make carbohydrates

from carbon dioxide and water using the green pigment chlorophyll to

capture the sun’s energy.

Sugars:

● Six sugar molecules are important in nutrition

● Monosaccharides

, ○ Glucose, fructose, and galactose

○ Absorbed directly into the bloodstream

● Disaccharides

○ Lactose, maltose, and sucrose

○ Paira of single sugars linked together

○ Digested and broken down by enzymes




Starch, Glycogen, and Fibers:

● Starch

○ A plant’s storage form of glucose

○ Polysaccharides - long stranded links of glucose

● Glycogen

○ Animal form of glucose

○ Another form of carbohydrates

● Fiber

○ Supporting structures of a plant

○ Digestion involves fermentation

The Need for Carbohydrates: