Carbohydrates

Vegetables and fruits are included in the carbohydrate category, as well as flour, cereals and sugars.

The caloric value of fruits and vegetables is frequently lower than that of cereals; while that of all concentrated sweets is high.

It is possible for children and athletes to consume larger amounts of sugars and starches with less harm than more inactive people; but most of us tend to eat a greater amount of carbohydrates than we can handle.

Our consumption of sweet and starchy foods, to say nothing of highly sweetened beverages, is frequently excessive.

The imbalance that results is acknowledged to be one of the major causes of malnutrition, for the demands excess carbohydrates make on the system may cause a deficiency in its supply of the vitamin B complex.