1.19 Dietary Considerations and Carbohydrates

• Nutrition

  • Foods high in carbohydrate content constitute over 50% of the diet of most people of the world 
  • Corn in South America
  • Rice in Asia
  • Starchy root vegetables in parts of Africa
  • Potato and wheat in North America
  • Balanced dietary food should contain about 60% of carbohydrate
• Classes of Dietary Carbohydrates:

  • Simple carbohydrates
  • Complex carbohydrates
• Simple Carbohydrate

  • Dietary monosaccharides or disaccharides
  • Sweet to taste and commonly referred to as sugars 
  • Constitute 20% of the energy in the US diet
• Complex carbohydrates

  • Dietary polysaccharides
  • Includes starch and cellulose, which are normally not sweet to taste