Carbohydrates

Identification of Carbohydrates Purpose: To identify carbohydrates and be able to identify an unknown carbohydrate using comparisons. Materials: 30 drops of monosaccharide solution (2) 30 drops of disaccharide solution (2) 30 drops of polysaccharide solution (2) 30 drops of unknown solution #10 (2) test tube (4) hot plate 30 drops of Benedict’s solution (4) 3-5 drops of iodine (4) beaker (for water bath) Procedure: Number test tubes 1-4. Add 30 drops of each saccharide solution (monosaccharide solution

Carbohydrates are often looked down upon in the world of healthy eating. They are seen as fattening, lacking important nutrients and just all around unhealthy. But, what if we told you that carbs are not only a good thing to have in your diet, but are also necessary for the human body to function? They serve as the primary source of energy for most people, eclipsing the old standbys of meat and veggies. Today, we'll be looking at eight reasons why you should eat carbs, and how they can be beneficial

Carbohydrates turn into glucose, or sugar, after they are digested in your body. This is needed for your body to have energy or to be stored for a later use. However, the glucose cannot go directly into your cells. This is where insulin comes in. Insulin is a hormone that is made by the pancreas. It is disbursed after you eat and glucose is detected in your blood stream. The insulin attaches itself to your body’s cells and signals for them to absorb the sugar. From there, it decreases your body’s

Are All Carbohydrates Bad? Most people ask are all carbohydrates bad? The simple answer to this question is no. There are two different types of carbohydrates; good and bad. Many people don’t realize this and this is often the cause of so many weight loss failures. Due to the lack of education in the weight loss industry, several misconceptions and superstitions are born. A good example of this is carbohydrates. Many people tend to think that they are all bad, when this is not the case and they

The structure and function of carbohydrates A carbohydrate is an organic molecule containing only Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen with the general formula Cn(H20)n. They are made up of individual molecules called monomers which are joined together by condensation reactions to make a longer chain called a polymer. Carbohydrates are categorised in to three main groups; monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. Monosaccharides are single sugars and are sweet tasting soluble substances such

contains carbohydrates. This reduced ability leads to hyperglycemia or elevated blood glucose level. It is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because many individuals do not even know that they have it. Your body uses a variety of enzymes to breakdown the food that you eat. Food is broken down into macro and micro nutrients which in turn are used in different parts of the body for different jobs. As an example, the fat is used to facilitate brain health whereas the carbohydrates are used

In fighting obesity, carbohydrates and calories are the enemy. Fighting obesity is something that many Americans struggle with. There are so many fad diets, and commercials that sell diet pills, claiming that they have discovered the secret to effortless weight loss. People often discuss their success, or failures with such diets, and pills. They may talk about counting calories or “carbs”. What are calories and carbohydrates, and how do they affect our bodies? With so many choices, how do they

Carbohydrates are one of the main types of macronutrients that move throughout the digestive system. Starting inside of the mouth, the carbohydrate travels through the body until it gets broken down. The mouth has two forms of digestion, mechanical or chemical. Mechanical digestion includes chewing food, while chemical digestion uses saliva. The salivary glands belong to the accessory organs of the digestive tract, but play a very important role in digestion. They produce amylase, which breaks down

There is a significant difference between humans and dogs in their need for carbohydrates and in their ability to digest them. The digestive tract of a human is longer than that of a dog, and the formation of jaws and teeth is entirely different. A dog's digestion starts in the stomach. Dogs' teeth - all 42 of them - are built to tear flesh apart. Dogs gulp their food as fast as they can, which then reaches the stomach with no digestion having taken place. Human digestion starts in the mouth. A

smaller molecules which are then consumed by the body and are used by the body (Tortora 2012). For example food is first broken down through the mouth in which the food is masticated and broken down into smaller pieces and where the digestion of carbohydrates takes place. In the digestive system each organ has a specific function and each one absorbs different nutrients. Also, during the process of digestion there are two different types of digestion mechanical digestion or chemical digestion (Blake