Human Nutrition 3(3+0)

Lesson 12 : Carbohydrates

Introduction

Carbohydrates from the major part of the diet and provide 60 – 70 % of the energy in Indian diets. They are found in a wide range of foods. In plants, carbohydrates are synthesized by the photosynthetic process in the presence of sunlight. All carbohydrates are made up of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen and have twice as many hydrogen atoms as oxygen and carbon.