The potato contains carbohydrate, which is starch. Carbohydrate is the scientific name that encompasses all the different types of sugar a food contains. Let's look at a piece of cake. When making a cake, a person would put in flour and table sugar. Flour is a carbohydrate.
Carbohydrate breaks down into glucose in the digestive system.
The table sugar is also a carbohydrate, and is actually two kinds of sugar stuck together. These two sugars separate during digestion and become glucose, as well. If the above explanations left you shaking your head, you aren't alone. A recent Health Canada consumer survey revealed that many Canadians, including those with diabetes, are confused about carbohydrates. The science may be confusing, but food, health and nutrition professionals have been working with Health Canada to try to make it easier to understand.