All carbohydrates are broken down into glucose, except fiber. It is the fuel for every cell in your body and the only fuel used by the brain. Animal products contain no carbohydrates at all. Your body has to work harder to break down complex carbohydrates into glucose, thereby providing a steady stream of energy. In addition, complex carbohydrates generally contain more vitamins and minerals than their simple sugar counterparts.
Complex carbohydrates are also a wonderful source of dietary fiber.
Because human digestive enzymes cannot break down the bonds that hold fiber together, fiber provides no nutritional value or calories to your diet. However, far from unimportant, fiber absorbs large amounts of water, moving solid materials through the digestive tract, preventing constipation and possibly some types of colon cancer. Protein Another essential nutrient protein, makes up virtually every part of your body. The protein that we consume is broken down into amino acids. There are 22 amino acids,that when strung together in different combinations, make up all the proteins needed by the human body.