Carbohydrates Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Carbohydrates - Research Paper Example Polysaccharides function to store energy; in plants they operate as cellulose. A monosaccharide know as ribose is essential to coenzymes and also is one of the predominant structural elements in the genetic material that composes RNA. Informal contexts within nutrition research that reference carbohydrates often refer to their existence in foods such as pastas, bread, and cereals and often correlate their occurrences to foods that contain large amounts of starch. When examining carbohydrates in terms of food science, they are divided into simple and complex carbohydrates. Dietary guidelines recommend that complex carbohydrates should be coupled with simple carbohydrates that contain a significant amount of nutrients – this includes fruits, such as apples and oranges. It is also recommended that individuals gain approximately 45-60% of their energy from carbohydrates food sources; only 10% of these sources should be derived from simple carbohydrates, that is sugars. While carbo hydrates are recommended for healthy living they are not termed essential nutrients. Indeed, it is possible for living organisms to obtain all the necessary nutritive elements for life from solely fats and proteins. Not all carbohydrates are readily digestible by humans, as some carbohydrates can only be digested with the aid of gut