You've heard it all before. Candies are basically made of carbohydrates and so are those unforgettable retro sweets which never fail to charm you over and over. Of course, resisting them is hard enough. And because carbohydrates are synonymous with sugar, you know how it is when people tell you to stay away from it because it's "bad" for your health. Actually, that might just be a misconception because we will always need sugar to survive. It's only when we have too much of it that it becomes a problem. But then again, everything beyond moderation is a risk but if you simply want to settle this thing with carbohydrates, then let's have it.

Aside from proteins and fats, carbohydrates are one of three main nutrients our body needs to perform its functions properly. These are sugars found in many types of food which may also contain other life-sustaining nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, and antioxidants. There are also specific food groups that are known to have significant amounts of carbohydrates and these include fruits, vegetables, starches and dairies, among others.

Carbohydrates come in three common types depending on the number of sugar molecules they contain. Simple sugars, also termed monosaccharide, will have one sugar molecule. A disaccharide will have two and a polysaccharide will have three or more. If you're wondering what these sugars are made for, energy it is.

Now, when you talk about Wally Lollies, Love Hearts Dip, Treacle Toffee, Space Dust and all those old-fashioned sweets, you're talking simple sugars. Other examples of these monosaccharides include fructose found in fruits,

honey and crops, galactose in milk products and glucose which is the body's main source of energy. In other words, even if they tell you candies are nothing but sugar, they're not at all bad because sugar gives you energy and we all need energy to survive. It is only an excessive consumption of sugar that makes it undesirable.

In fact, it is not uncommon to see athletes chomping candy bars every now and then during sports events and they do it for obvious reasons – energy. For every gram of carbohydrates, the body is supplied four calories and with the right carb consumption, these calories can maintain normal body processes such as metabolism and digestion.