Carbohydrates Carbohydrates are the main energy source for the human body. These carbohydrates are manufactured by plants during the process of photosynthesis. 2 A potato, for example, is primarily a chemical storage system containing glucose molecules manufactured during photosynthesis. In a potato, however, those glucose molecules are bound together in a long chain. As it turns out, there are two types of carbohydrates, the simple sugars and those carbohydrates that are made of long chains of sugars - the complex carbohydrates.
Simple sugars are sweet in taste and are broken down quickly in the body to release energy.
Two of the most common monosaccharides are glucose and fructose. Glucose is the primary form of sugar stored in the human body for energy. Fructose is the main sugar found in most fruits. The potato we discussed earlier actually contains the complex carbohydrate starch. Plants often store starch in seeds or other specialized organs, for example, common sources of starch include rice, beans, wheat, corn, potatoes, etc.