Nutrition Science and Everyday Application - beta v 0.1

Introduction to Carbohydrates
If someone says to you, “I love carbohydrates, and I eat them all day long!” what would you
assume they’re eating?
Do you picture this?
Figure 4.1. Examples of carbohydrate-rich snack foods.
And this?
Figure 4.2. Examples of grain-based foods.
When we ask this question in class, most students describe foods like the ones above.
However, carbohydrates are found not just in grains, or in sweets and processed foods, but
in every food group.
In fact, carbohydrates are the most abundant nutrient (except water) in the diets of most
humans around the world. Since the dawn of agriculture, human cultures have relied on
staple grains, such as corn, rice, and wheat, as the foundation of their diets, and these foods
are rich in carbohydrates. But fruits and vegetables, dairy products, legumes, and nuts also
have naturally-occurring carbohydrates. And of course, carbohydrates are a key ingredient
in desserts, sugar-sweetened beverages like sodas, and many of the packaged snack foods
that are readily available and—let’s face it—can be hard to stop eating.
In other words, if someone says they eat a high carbohydrate diet, that could mean many
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