Ask the Expert: Nutrients

Q. What are carbohydrates and why should I care?

A. Carbohydrates are nutrients – just like vitamins and minerals. They are compounds made up of sugar and are the main (and preferred source) of energy for your body including your brain and your nervous system. Good sources of carbohydrate are plant foods, i.e. fruits, some vegetables such as potatoes and corn and grain-based foods like cereal, pasta, bread and rice.

There are two types of carbohydrates – simple and complex. Simple carbohydrates are sugars. Complex carbohydrates are starches and fiber. A healthful diet is made up of primarily complex carbohydrates.

Most nutrition experts recommend that about half the calories you eat come from carbohydrates. Eating too little carbohydrate shortchanges your body on several important vitamins, disease-fighting phytochemicals and fiber.

Q. I am lactose intolerant and concerned that I am not getting enough calcium in my diet. Will rice or soy milk give me as much as cow’s milk?

A. It depends. Without fortification, neither rice nor soy milk is a good source of calcium. Soy milk provides about 10 milligrams of calcium in a serving -- rice beverages contain about 15 milligrams. In comparison, one cup of cow’s milk offers 300 milligrams. The good news is there are low lactose varieties of cow’s milk, which are rich in calcium and there are fortified soy and rice milk products that have a comparable calcium content to cow’s milk. Look at the nutrition label on these beverages to determine what they have to offer. There are also many different kinds of calcium-fortified products on shelves such as juices, rice and breakfast cereals. Together, they can help you meet your calcium needs of 1,000 to 1,200 milligrams a day.

Q. How much value is there in the spoonfuls of add-ins you can get when you order a smoothie, e.g. ginseng, fiber, wheat germ, and spirulina?

A. There is no way of telling exactly what you get when you order herbal ingredients for your smoothie. The industry is very loosely monitored. In fact, analyses of herbal products have shown that some mixtures actually contain little to no herbal ingredients or the ingredients they do contain lack active components.

Fiber and wheat germ are considered healthful ingredients. But, along with herbal add-ins the amount used in drinks is often quite small, therefore the nutritional contribution or healthful impact of these items can be minimal.

To get a better sense of what these added ingredients have to offer nutritionally, ask your server for a nutritional analysis of them. If they don’t have it, skip the extras.