Carbohydrates are the body's primary source of energy (supplied mainly by plant foods). The building blocks of carbohydrates are called sugars or simple sugars. Examples include:

Sucrose (table sugar)	=	glucose + fructose
Maltose (malt sugar)	=	glucose + glucose
Lactose (milk sugar)	=	glucose + galactose

Simple sugars link together to form large complex carbohydrates for storage. In plants, carbohydrates are stored as starch. In animals, carbohydrates are stored as glycogen.

Fibre
The links between certain sugars in complex carbohydrates cannot be broken down by the human digestive system. These carbohydrates are called "dietary fibre", and are mainly derived from plant cell walls.

There are two categories of dietary fibre:
1. Insoluble fibre

• Found mainly in whole grains and in the outer parts of seeds, fruits and legumes.
• It absorbs water and makes stools soft and bulky. This allows faeces to pass more easily and quickly, preventing constipation. It also helps to keep the gut wall healthy and decreases the risk for certain diseases.
• Adequate intake helps prevent diseases such as colon cancer.

2. Soluble fibre

• Found in fruit, vegetables, legumes (peas, beans, lentils), some seeds, brown rice, barley, oats and oat bran.
• It helps to slow the entry of glucose (a simple sugar) into the bloodstream.
• Soluble fibre binds some cholesterol in the gut, thereby preventing it from being absorbed.
• Soluble fibre provides nutrients to the colonic, "good" bacteria and increases stool bulk by increasing microbial growth in the colon.

- Information supplied by the Nutrition Information Centre of the University of Stellenbosch (NICUS).

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