Types of carbohydrates

There are three main types of carbohydrates:

• Simple carbs, called sugars. Simple sugars are made of one or two types of sugar. Fructose is a simple sugar found in fruit and honey. Fructose and glucose together make the sugar called sucrose, which you may have in your pantry as table sugar. Lactose also is made up of two sugar units, this time galactose and glucose, and is found in milk and dairy products.
• Complex carbs, called starch. Complex carbohydrates are made of many sugar units bonded together. Starch occurs naturally in vegetables, grains, beans and peas. As your body digests starch, the complex carbohydrates break down into their simple sugar parts.
• Fiber. Fiber also is a complex carbohydrate. It occurs naturally in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and cooked dry beans and peas.

Fiber isn't broken down in the body. But it can be used by some bacteria in the gut. Fiber also helps move waste through the digestive tract.