Starches and sugars come under a single classification in the diet—Carbohydrates, which provide the principle source of food energy in the diet. Carbohydrates are needed as fuel for muscular work and physical activity. Excess sugars and starches that are not utilized as energy are changed by the body chemistry into fat and stored in the least active body parts.
Carbohydrates originate in plants as … sugars formed by photosynthesis, then are formed into clusters as starches … consumed by humans, and once more broken down by the body chemistry into the simple sugar, glucose, for use by the cells of the body. It is important that you eat only natural starches and sugars, and avoid those which have been depleted of vital elements (refined white flour, sugar, etc.).
NATURAL STARCHES AND SUGARS are found in all fresh fruits and vegetables raw sugar (not refined white sugar), honey, maple syrup, sorghum and molasses, whole grains (wheat, oats, rye, etc.) and whole grain flour, dried beans and peas, whole brown rice, potatoes. All natural foods, in fact, contain some carbohydrates.
HOW TO CHOOSE A FAT
Fat is also a source of energy in the diet … in fact, it has more than twice the energy value of the same amount of carbohydrates or protein. As already pointed out in this Heart Fitness Program, a certain amount of fat is necessary and an is a certain amount of cholesterol. But let me remind you that your fat intake should be a preponderance of the unsaturated fats … and the a saturated fats in meat, eggs, poultry and dairy products) should be kept to a minimum.
THE FUNCTION OF FAT IN THE BODY
Our nerves, muscles and organs must be “cushioned” by a normal amount of fat. If we did not have a certain amount of fat in our “gluteus maxim.” (the buttocks), for example, we would never be able to sit down, because we would have to sit directly on our muscles and bones.
Those who with to reduce should reduce the fat-content of their diet … and those who wish to gain should increase it. But even if you are on a reducing diet, there should always be some fat in the menu because it plays an important role in the body chemistry.
Stored in the body, fat provides a source of heat and energy, and the accumulation of a certain amount of fat around the vital organs (such as the kidneys) gives great protection against cold and injury.
Fat also has a function to perform in the body cells, for which special fats known as unsaturated fatty acids are needed in small amounts in the diet. Without these there is roughness or scaliness of the skin.