Types of carbohydrates and what they do

Starches sources contain primarily glucose. These are potatoes, yams, cereal, oats, rice, pasta, etc. In moderate amounts they fuel all of the active tissues in your body (muscle and every other tissue that does work i.e. everything other than fat cells). If too many starch calories enter the bloodstream all at once (faster than a rate of about 10 Calories per minute), a significant percentage of the glucose (sugars from the starch) will go to body fat. Even worse, the large influx of sugar into the liver stimulate the production of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol. Starches should NOT be avoided, but instead should be eaten in moderate amounts regularly as WHOLE GRAIN sources. Fruits and vegetables contain sucrose, half of which is glucose that the body can burn as fuel, the other half being fructose, which the liver absorbs and converts into glucose. Whole grains and fruit are both healthy but contain twice the calories, half the fiber and half the phytonutrients contained in the equivalent weight of vegetables. Therefore, it is impossible to optimize health, recovery and performance without a significant amount of vegetable intake at least two times per day.