Dextrose, Fructose, Glucose

Dear all,

You all might have heard about the post workout carbohydrates sources such as Dextrose, fructose and Glucose. I've read an article which explains the differences between those sources.

Hope this will be useful to you all.

Dextrose, fructose, and glucose are all monosaccharides, known as simple sugars. These sugars can combine to form more complex sugars, including the disaccharide known as sucrose, or table sugar. The primary differences between these sugars have to do with the ways in which they are metabolized by the body, and they all play important roles in body function.

Fructose is an extremely sweet sugar which is found in many fruits. The flavor is sometimes intensely cloying, as anyone who has eaten an overripe piece of fruit knows, and it is believed to be the most sweet of the naturally occurring sugars. Fructose can also be obtained through the breakdown of sucrose, which is made from linked fructose and glucose molecules. Fructose has a low glycemic index, which means that it takes a long time for the body to break down, resulting in a slow release of sugar, rather than a sudden rush. For this reason, it is sometimes recommended for diabetics.

Dextrose is simply a form of glucose. Some food packagers like to use "dextrose" on their packaging instead of "glucose" because they believe that people have negative associations with glucose. This sugar is extremely abundant in nature, and it can be found in numerous plant and animal tissues, often along with other sugars such as fructose. The body relies on glucose for energy, using this sugar to power cells. When people measure their blood sugar, they are actually measuring the amount of dissolved glucose in the blood.

The molecular formula for glucose/dextrose and fructose is actually the same. Both sugars are considered to be hexoses, meaning that they have six carbon atoms attached to 12 hydrogen atoms and six oxygen atoms. The differing ways in which molecules can be attached cause various hexoses to behave differently, creating different chemical compounds which lend the hexoses some distinct properties.

Glucose is what is known as an aldohexose, meaning that it contains a compound called an aldehyde, located at the first position in the molecule. Aldehydes have a carbon atom which is attached to a hydrogen atom and also double bonded to an oxygen atom. Fructose, on the other hand, is a ketohexose, containing a ketone which consists of a single carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom. The ketone in fructose is attached to the second position in the molecule. Ketones play an important role in biochemistry.

The simple structures of these sugars allow them to be linked in a number of different ways to other molecules, creating more complex sugars which will behave differently in the body and generating some extremely unwieldy chemical formulas. For consumers, the important thing to remember is that labels which say "dextrose" really mean "glucose."

Source: www.wisegeek.com

Regards

Citizen, India

Know your Carbohydrates.

Dear all,
This article is submitted by Chris Aceto on Flex magazine. About the good high-carbohydrates choices that bodybuilders can use in their Offseason routine.

Offseason bodybuilding nutrition is all about quantity and quality. To some degree, the more you eat, the more muscle you can add. Of course, there is a point of "expanding returns," at which eating more than your body requires will simply lead to the accumulation of bodyfat.

When it comes to packing on size, you need to consume plenty of quality carbs, protein and healthy fats. Carbohydrates should make up the bulk of an offseason mass plan because they create an environment for growth by stimulating insulin release. The nine foods listed below are good high-carb choices that bodybuilders -- especially hardgainers -- can use to enhance muscle recovery and to pack on muscle mass. Keep in mind, these foods are for hulking and are not considered to be foundational carbohydrates for precontest bodybuilders or those trying to rip up.

1 Breakfast Cereals

Benefit: Convenient high-calorie food

Breakfast cereals with at least two qrams (g) of fiber per serving can be converted into good offseason bodybuilding foods. Fiber slows digestion, making cereal a good source of energy that can be eaten at any time. Double the serving size, mix in one rounded scoop of whey protein and enough milk to bring the carb content to about 60 g and the protein content to 30 g. Two good breakfast cereal choices among many are Quaker Oatmeal Squares and Healthy Choice Almond Crunch with Raisins.

2 Bagels

Benefit: Versatile

Jay Cutler, Laura Creavalle and Mike Francois have relied on bagels as high-carb snacks to complement protein shakes or to make sliced turkey, cheese or grilled chicken breast sandwiches. Bagels are a concentrated source of carbohydrates (a medium one has 40-50 g). They also make offseason mass nutrition easy -- no cooking or serious food-prep time needed. For added benefits, choose varieties with more whole grains, such as pumpernickel and rye.

3 Bran Muffins

Benefit: A mass builder with fiber

You can determine a quality bran muffin by reading the label, but your best bet may be to make your own. Purchase any high-fiber cereal that has a muffin recipe on the side of the box. Substitute honey for sugar, add two or three scoops of whey protein to the mix, and you have a high-carb protein-rich muffin. Fiber in the cereal ingredient makes the resultant muffins low glycemic or "slow burning," which is ideal for bodybuilders who struggle to stay relatively lean while bulking up.

4 Cream of Rice Cereal

Benefit: Extremely easy to digest

Cream of Rice is easily digested, and it makes an excellent offseason food for packing in the carbs. Two-thirds of a cup mixed with water yields 65 g of easy-to-digest carbs. After cooking, add a banana, a cup of cottage cheese and some Equal or a few pinches of cinnamon, and you have a well-rounded meal with 30 g of protein and 90 g of carbohydrates.

5 Mashed Potatoes

Benefit: Strong insulinogenic carb

When you're trying to grow, you. need fast-diqesting carbs in your postworkout meal. Fast-acting carbs generate a greater insulin surge than slower-acting ones, and the fast variety are superior at rapidly restoring glycogen levels. At 42 g of carbs per cup, you can eat two or three cups of mashed potatoes without feeling overly stuffed or bloated.

Mashed potatoes are also good for eating at other times of day. They're one of the least filling of all carbohydrate foods, so they're an excellent choice for hardgainers or those who don't have a large appetite.

6 White Rice with Raisins

Benefit: Nonfilling high-glycemic carbs

Two cups of white rice mixed with a handful of raisins provide 115 g of carbohydrates -- an ideal postworkout combo to help resynthesize muscle glycogen. As with mashed potatoes, you can also use white rice with raisins as a side dish with meals. Add white rice with raisins to a meat-vegetable-nut stir-fry for a great meal that's also good for muscle building.

7 Pasta

Benefit: Condensed source of carbs For bumping up carb intake, pasta has always been a great way to go. Four ounces (dry measure) yield 90 g of carbs that are easy to eat and won't fill you up, so you'll be ready to eat again within three hours. Adding meat and vegetables to pasta makes a complete meal that is high in carbohydrates, protein and calories.

8 Fat-Free Pop-Tarts

Benefit: Portability

Fat-free Pop-Tarts might not be the first food you think of when you're considering a bodybuilding diet, but they can play a role in a mass-gaining diet. You can carry these quick-digesting carbs in your gym bag and eat them immediately after training to kick start recovery. They have approximately 40 g of carbs. no fat, and they're fortified with B vitamins.

9 Fig Newtons

Benefit: High in carbs and fiber

Desserts as a rule are off limits for bodybuilders. But some desserts are better than others. Fig Newtons yield about 14 g of moderate-burning carbohydrates per cookie. Moderate-burning carbs make a good pretraining snack. Fig Newtons are also somewhat high in fiber content. Eat these cookies after a food meal early in the day or with a protein drink between meals.

Happy Offseasoning...

Regards
Citizen, India.

Carb Cycling

After a long time, i am back. Hope i'll make this blog alive from now onwards.

This is a nice article, i've read when i was searching for articles related to Carbohydrates. Hope this will be useful for the persons who want to gain weight as well as to lose wight.

http://www.obesitydiscussion.com/forums/weight-loss-forum/carb-cycling-carbohydrate-intake-tips-4186.html.

Regards
Citizen, India