To begin, carbohydrates are a very important group of nutrients that give us energy, especially for our brains and nervous system functioning. Where are they most commonly found? Carbs are in different foods like bread, milk, pasta, cola drinks, beans and popcorn. There are three forms of carbs—fibre, starch and sugar. There is also a stigma associated with eating an excess of carbs, especially with foods like white bread or rice.

But, there are good and bad carbs. “Good” carbs can be found in healthy foods like fruits and veggies. This means that carbs aren’t necessarily all bad. You just have to be smart about the food choices you make.

Chemistry and Biology 101

To know your carbs, it’s important to have a basic understanding of their chemical makeup. Don’t worry—this will be brief. Very brief. Sugar molecules make up carbohydrates. That’s basically it. So, foods that contain carbs are basically huge sequences of sugar molecules put together. They are the most common source of energy, though they aren’t considered vital for life as we can obtain nutrients from protein and various types of good fats.

How does our body break down carbs? Aside from fibre, our bodies work to break them down into units of sugar molecules. They are then transformed into glucose—the sugar that is found in our blood. This is what our bodies use as fuel for energy.

What about fibre, then? Our bodies can’t break down fibres so they are not digested and easily pass through. Despite this, they are very healthy, as everyone knows. Fibre that dissolves in water can attach to fatty matter in our intestines can carry then out. This can greatly help our cholesterol levels. Fibre that is not dissolvable in water helps to propel food through our intestines.