Wellbeing Nutrition Health Fitness Ecosystem Environment Animals Lifestyle Business About Contact Us Hamburger Toggle Menu Edit Template Different Types Of Carbohydrate & How They Can Affect Your Health Simple and complex carbohydrates Carbohydrates fall into two main categories, referred to as simple and complex carbohydrates, which reflect their molecular structure. Both simple and complex carbohydrates consist of chains of sugar molecules, but the chains are much shorter in the case of simple carbohydrates, consisting of just one or two molecules: these are known as monosaccharides and disaccharides respectively. The most common monosaccharides found in food are fructose, galactose, and glucose, whilst the most common disaccharides are lactose, maltose and sucrose. Complex carbohydrates (known as polysaccharides) can consist of much longer molecular chains. Most fruits and vegetables contain both simple and complex carbohydrates. Due to their very basic structure, simple carbohydrates are absorbed and digested quickly, which can provide a fast and short-lived spike in energy, followed by a drop. Overconsumption of simple carbohydrates can lead to weight gain in the form of fat, and chronic overconsumption can sometimes give rise to obesity, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. Because simple carbohydrates lack fibre, they can be consumed in larger quantities without leading to a feeling of fullness, and so can carry a risk of overeating. The other 9 amino acids can’t be produced by our bodies and so we need to get them from the foods we eat; they are known as the essential amino acids, and their names are histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, threonine, tryptophan, and valine. Each of these amino acids performs a specific role in helping to maintain our health. For example, histidine and lysine can support our immune function, threonine helps to maintain skin quality and prevent bleeding, and tryptophan contributes to the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate our mood and appetite. Refined and unrefined carbohydrates Complex carbohydrates come in two different forms – starch and fibre. Starch carbohydrates are digested more slowly than simple carbohydrates, resulting in a more sustained and less intense source of energy. Some starches are described as refined carbohydrates, and others as unrefined. Refined carbohydrates include white bread, white rice, white pasta, and cakes and biscuits made with white flour. Examples of unrefined carbohydrates are wholewheat bread and pasta, brown rice, potatoes, oats, and quinoa. Unrefined carbohydrate foods can provide good levels of vitamins and minerals, as well as fibre, whereas for refined carbohydrates these nutrients are to a large extent stripped away in the refining process.   Read Next Protein – Why We Need It, How Much We Need & Some Great Vegan Sources Why We Need Calcium & How Much Is Enough How To Get Enough Vitamin B12 From Fortified Vegan Foods What Vegans Need To Know About Vitamin D How Vegans Can Improve Their Iron Absorption Rates Protein Quality For Vegans Why We Need Zinc, And How Much Is Enough Why We Need Iron