Food sources :
- Plant sources
- Cereal grains- rice,wheat,corn, barley,bajra, jowar, ragi contain large amounts of starch.In addition, to starch they also contain some proteins,mineral and vitamins. Whole grain and enriched sources also contain iron, B-complex vitamins and some fiber.
- Vegetables- roots and tubers contain large amounts of carbohydrates.Starchy legumes,beans, peas,yam,tapioca and potatoes, contain large amounts of carbohydrates, whereas green leafy vegetables contain low levels.Sugars present in fresh vegetables change to starch on storage.
- Fruits- contain the simpler form of carbohydrates namely the mono- and disaccharides. Dry fruits contain large amounts of carbohydrates.
- Sweets- the ordinary table sugar, ground sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup and honey are concentrated sources of sugars but do not supply significant amounts of nutrients in addition to calories. Such sources are said to provide empty calories. Jaggery and molases provide some minerals in addition to sugars.
- Animal sources
- There are no important animal sources of carbohydrates except milk , which supplies lactose.Glycogen ( stored in animal liver) is present in meat, fish and poultry in small amounts as it degrades rapidly.