Monosaccharides (glucose, galactose, fructose) are the sugars found in milk and fruits.
Polysaccharides (complex carbs, starches, fibers) come from whole grains, vegetables, nuts, some fruits and legumes. These are your complex carbs.
You'll read a lot about essential amino acids and essential fats but what you won't read about in any fitness manuals or hear from any fitness experts is the essential carbohydrate. That's because there is no such thing. There are just different carbohydrates with different properties that affect your energy levels.
[STOP and realize that complex carbs are just a series of 3 or more simple sugars bound together. As mentioned, complex carbs go by the alias, polysaccharides.
This ability of a carbohydrate to to raise blood sugar fast or slow is called the glycemic index (GI). The GI was created to track various foods effects on blood sugar at different rates.
If you are still reading, you should at this point understand that complex carbohydrates have a more leveling effect on insulin and longer term energy. Because complex carbs are not continually 'spiking' the insulin levels, you'll send less signals to store fat.
The starch in whole grains is an excellent example of a more complex carb compared to the monosaccharides like refined white flours or table sugars. This is why you always read about "staying away from refined and processed foods" as much as possible.
Here's a better overview of where you can find various carbohydrates in foods:
Simple carbohydrates that contain vitamins and minerals occur naturally in:
fruitsÂ
milk and milk productsÂ
vegetables
Bottom line: You want to get most of your carbohydrate energy from complex sources so that you have a long term energy flow. After a workout, it's ideal to take in simple sugars to quickly replace glycogen stores.
