Carbohydrates are the main suppliers of the body’s energy.Starches and Sugars are the principal types of Carbohydrates and they are broken down by digestion into Glucose, better known as Blood Sugar which supplies the essential energy for our brains and central nervous system.

When the body has insufficient Carbohydrates it uses the body’s Protein for energy requirements and Protein is essential for repairing the body. When too much Carbohydrate is eaten the body stores it as fat in the Muscles and Liver.

There is no official recommendation for the daily consumption of Carbohydrates but at least 50 grams should be eaten daily to avoid creating too much acid in the blood. There is every reason to include Carbohydrates in one’s daily diet so long as they are mainly of the unrefined type i.e. slow burning. Even weight watchers should be aware that gram for gram they have the same Calorific value as Proteins 4 Calories per gram.

The important thing to bear in mind with Carbohydrates is judging them according to their position on what is called the glycemic index. This ranks foods in how they create sugars and starches and how quickly. Highly rated Starches tend to be refined foods such as – sugar, cakes, crackers, biscuits, white flour pasta, white rice, bagels, cornflakes, sweet corn, fizzy drinks, waffles, chips, pretzels. These enter the blood stream quickly and if eaten in excess put the pancreas under pressure eventually leading to diabetes.

Low rated foods on the glycemic index are slowly digested, high-fibre Carbohydrates such as – Whole grain pasta, Pearled Barley, Whole Wheat Breads, Bran, Yogurt (Plain), Dried Dates and Figs, Peanuts, Hard Beans (Soy, Kidney, Lima, Green, Butter, Split Peas), High Fibre Fruits and Vegetables (Apples, Asparagus, Blackberries, Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Celery, Chard, Cucumber, Peppers, Peaches and Pears), Soy milk, Skim milk and low fat milk. All these are slow digestive foods and are do not put so much pressure on the Pancreas as do the Fast digestive foods.processed by the Pancreas

Between the high index and low index foods a middle range group comprise – All-bran Cereal, Baked Beans, Popcorn, Mangoes, Bananas, Peas, Grapes, Low fat ice cream, Pineapple Juice, Oranges and Orange juice, Pita Bread (White),