Categories of Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates are the body's primary and most easily available source of energy. All carbohydrates are sugars, molecules containing carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen synthesized by plants through the process of photosynthesis (using the energy of the sun) or by animals through the process of glycogen synthesis. Following are the basic categories of carbohydrates :

Monosaccharides

Glucose (blood sugar)

Fructose (fruit sugar)

Galactose (a kind of milk sugar)

Oligosaccharides

Sucrose (table sugar)

Lactose (milk sugar)

Maltose (malt sugar)

Polysaccharides

Plant polysaccharides (starch and cellulose)

Animal polysaccharides (glycogen)