What Are Long-Chain Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are important for a balanced diet and should therefore not be missed. Carbohydrates make up a large part of our diet and provide us with energy.

They are an important factor in whether we want to lose weight or gain weight. Many diets, such as the low-carb diet, are based on them.

What are carbohydrates?

There are different types of nutrients in animal or plant foods. A distinction is made between micronutrients and macronutrients.

The group of micronutrients includes vitamins and minerals. In addition to fats and proteins, carbohydrates belong to the group of macronutrients.

However, while fats and proteins mainly function as building materials in the body, carbohydrates serve as an energy source for the body and brain. Carbohydrates are composed of sugar molecules. In addition to fructose and galactose, this particularly includes glucose. A certain proportion of glucose in the blood causes the proportion of blood sugar to rise. Glycogen is replenished.

So when we eat carbohydrates, blood sugar levels rise. The pancreas then simultaneously releases insulin to transport glucose from the blood to the body's cells.

As a result, the blood sugar level drops again. The German Nutrition Society recommends absorbing about 50 percent of food energy from carbohydrate-containing foods every day.

Long-chain, complex carbohydrates briefly explained

These are also called multiple sugars, complex carbohydrates, polysaccharides, or oligosaccharides. They can be found in potatoes and legumes, for example.

Oatmeal also contains long-chain carbohydrates. Therefore, an oatmeal porridge or cereal made from oatmeal is ideal for a healthy breakfast . Oligosaccharides consist of long chains of sugar molecules. Therefore, it takes longer for them to be broken down and processed by the body. Therefore, these carbohydrates are also called slow carbohydrates.

Short-chain, fast carbohydrates explained

These are also called monosaccharides (simple sugars) or disaccharides (double sugars). These simple carbohydrates are mainly found in sweets and fruits – but also in white flour products. The best known and probably most important are glucose (also called dextrose, e.g., in grapes) and fructose (found in most fruit varieties). Since they consist of only one or a few sugar molecules, the body can process them faster. These carbohydrates give the body quick energy, but the resulting energy boost also flattens out quickly. The double sugars include the so-called sucrose (which our table sugar consists of), lactose (the milk sugar in dairy products), and malt sugar (maltose).

Benefits of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are important and valuable energy suppliers for the human body. In addition, carbohydrates are the most important source of energy for our brain and red blood cells.

If the body cannot fall back on this energy from carbohydrates, it must derive this energy from the muscles. In this way, the muscles are broken down to generate energy.

Along with fats and proteins, carbohydrates are one of the three most important macronutrients in our diet. The great advantage of carbohydrates is their ability to provide our body with essential energy.

List of long-chain and short-chain carbohydrates

Below is a list of examples of long-chain and short-chain carbohydrate sources.

Foods that contain long-chain, complex carbohydrates include:

Foods that contain short-chain, fast carbohydrates:

Incidentally, animal foods such as fish or meat are not very high in carbohydrates. They mainly contain fat or proteins.

What carbohydrates should I eat?

For a healthy diet, good carbohydrates – i.e., long-chain carbohydrates – should be on the menu. Since these consist of multiple building blocks, they are more complex to digest than the short-chain alternatives. This keeps the body saturated for longer, helping to avoid cravings. In addition, more energy is burned when these carbohydrates are digested.

Short-chain carbohydrates are digested faster because fewer chain links need to be broken down. Therefore, blood sugar levels rise more quickly. However, you only feel full for a shorter time, and hunger returns quickly. For this reason, there is a temptation to eat more and more often. The result is a quick weight gain. Therefore, they should not be consumed in large quantities.

So, you should try as best you can to distinguish between good and bad carbohydrates. But beware! Not all long-chain carbohydrates are automatically healthy. They can also contribute to weight gain if eaten in excessive quantities.

At the same time, there are also foods with short carbohydrate chains that can still be consumed in moderation. This includes, for example, fruit. The valuable vitamins contained in it are also important for our body.

Whether you lose weight or gain weight is therefore not directly determined by the type of carbohydrates, but by how many calories you consume per day. However, oligosaccharides can help to keep the number of calories low, as they lead to a greater feeling of satiety. Overall, it can be said that you should prefer long-chain carbohydrates such as potatoes, legumes, or whole grains, over short-chain carbohydrates such as sugary foods.

Tip: If you want to find out the effect of a carbohydrate-containing food on blood sugar levels, you can search for it using the glycemic index (GI). The calculated value indicates how your blood sugar level rises as a result of consuming the food.

In general, long-chain carbohydrates have a low glycemic index, while it is usually relatively high for short-chain sugar molecules.

When is it best to eat carbohydrates?

You should eat carbohydrates, especially in the morning. The body is supplied with energy right at the beginning of the day, enabling you to start the day full of energy. This is particularly important in the morning when physical activity is often highest. A healthy breakfast consisting of oatmeal or porridge in the morning is therefore optimal and serves as one of the most important energy suppliers – providing the perfect basis for the day.

With a breakfast from Verival, you support your body with important long-chain carbohydrates and other vitamins and nutrients. This guarantees an optimal start to the day. Feel free to get inspired on our site. We have a wide selection of oatmeal such as porridge and cereal, including vegan or gluten-free options. This way, you can eat healthily with ease and be supported in your weight loss journey.

By the way, a healthy adult can consume around 120 grams of carbohydrates if they want to maintain their weight. If you want to lose weight, the value should be below 100 grams of carbohydrates. Importantly, complex carbohydrates should naturally form a high proportion of this intake.