second page of Lecture 4A
C.    COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: Polysaccharides
Now we're ready for
2. Glycogen.  Watch the Video Clip below to begin this part.


Video Clip: Glycogen
approximately 4 minutes

The Video Clip says that glycogen is important to provide fuel when you don't eat.  Could you add to your notes that glycogen is important to provide fuel as glucose (for the brain & nervous system) when you don't eat

The body can make glycogen from eating foods rich in starch and sugar.  Starch and sugar are broken down into monosaccharides, and ultimately become glucose which can then be stored as glycogen.  As mentioned before, WHOLE foods are the best ones to eat to get this sugar and starch because they also provide fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Read through the remainder of the Glycogen part in your lecture outline.  An important point is that although glycogen is in BOTH the muscles & the liver, the glycogen in only ONE of those places can get into the blood and travel.  Therefore only one of those places can provide glucose to the brain.

From looking at the Video Clip above, you should be able to describe how glycogen is different than starch in structure.

C.    COMPLEX CARBOHYDRATES: Polysaccharides
And now we're ready for

3. Fiber.  Types- Soluble & Insoluble

Before watching the Fiber Video Clip below, here's the main purpose of cellulose in plants- to provide supporting structure for the plant.


Video Clip: Fiber
approximately 10 minutes


Questions about fiber the video did not answer:

Why it's good for us to eat foods with insoluble fiber?  You can think of Insoluble fibers as being good for Intestinal health.  As the text on pg. 110 mentions insoluble fibers increase fecal weight and speed fecal passage through the colon.  Therefore insoluble fibers can alleviate constipation amongst other things.  Also insoluble fibers provide bulk and a feeling of fullness which may help with weight management.

Why it's good for us to eat foods with soluble fiber? Soluble fiber is the heart healthy fiber.  Soluble fiber can lower blood cholesterol by binding bile (which contains cholesterol) when in the digestive tract, which can lower risk of heart disease.  The soluble fibers attract water and form viscous (thick) gels in the stomach and digestive tract.  This can help us feel fuller longer, and also slow down glucose absorption (which can be good for diabetics).  You will often see pectins and gums in ingredient lists acting as thickeners.  Look at a bottle of salad dressing or pudding box the next time you are in the grocery store to see if you can spot soluble fibers in the ingredient list.

As always, the best way to get fibers is going to be from whole foods where they come packaged with other vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals.  For example fruits, vegetables, beans, and whole grains like oats, barley, rice and wheat.


Notice below that this store brand of "Cheerios" has both soluble and insoluble fiber.  Most food labels just give one value for "Dietary Fiber" which includes both soluble and insoluble.

This is a 1984 label. Below is a bigger version of this label.

I find it interesting that in 1984, they DID mention the starch content on this label, but

they DID NOT mention the fiber content.




Above is a 10-grain hot cereal from Bob's Red Mill, a Portland company. Notice its high fiber content (5g).  

One pear (above) has the same amount of dietary fiber as the serving of  the 10-grain hot cereal (5g).

These saltines are made from wheat flour, but it's not WHOLE wheat.  Notice the fiber content (0g).

END OF LECTURE 4A.
Now you're ready for LECTURE 4B.