Carbohydrates, sugars and starches: the different types explained simply

To make good choices at the table you need to know what you're really eating. "Carbs" are not one single thing: here are the types, explained simply.

Carbohydrates in 3 families

1. Sugars (simple carbohydrates): sweets, fruit, milk.
2. Starches (complex carbohydrates): bread, pasta, rice, potatoes.
3. Fiber: the part we do NOT digest.

Simple sugars

• Glucose: the sugar the body uses for energy; it's what blood sugar measures.
• Fructose: the sugar in fruit; it's handled mainly by the liver.
• Sucrose: ordinary table sugar = glucose + fructose.
• Lactose: the sugar in milk.

Starches: glucose "in disguise"

A starch is nothing more than lots of glucose molecules linked together. That's why bread, pasta and potatoes — even though they aren't "sweet" — turn into glucose and raise blood sugar (as we explain in glucose and insulin).

Fiber: the "good" carb

Fiber is not digested: it doesn't raise blood sugar and slows the absorption of other sugars. This is where the idea of net carbs comes from = total carbs − fiber.

Why it matters on keto

All carbohydrates (except fiber) end up as glucose → insulin. Knowing which foods contain the most helps you say no with full awareness. Check them with the carb calculator and see the real glycemic impact.

🛒 Useful products

• Blood glucose meter (measures blood sugar)
• Kitchen scale

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