Carbohydrates are made up of carbon and water. Atoms of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen form carbohydrate compounds such as sugar and starch. There are five types of carbohydrate sugars: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose and lactose.
Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred way of getting energy and in fact your brain needs a constant supply of carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates are broken down into glucose by the body and as you may know, are absorbed into the blood stream. Carbs can also be stored in your muscles and liver as glycogen. You need about 40 – 50 % of your diet to be made up of carbohydrates for good health.
Fats are waxy, oily substances and are essential for good health. Fat has double the amount of calories, and because of this, poses a problem to individuals who find it difficult to exercise. When the body breaks down a fat, it gets broken down into something called a fatty acid and glycerol.
Proteins are made up of chains of amino acids and are necessary for your body to build enzymes, antibodies and hemoglobin. When you eat protein, your body breaks the protein down into amino acids and then tries to re-assemble them into other configurations to make other needed proteins for use around the body.