carbohydrate

This term describes the biological fuel source for the body, encompassing sugars, starches, and fibers. In a scientific context, it refers to the chemical structure of organic compounds, while in a nutritional context, it is often used as a shorthand for the foods that provide these compounds.

In common dietary parlance, the word is frequently shortened to carbs. While the chemical compound itself is treated as an uncountable mass noun in biochemistry, the shortened form carbs is almost always used as a countable noun when referring to specific types of food or dietary units.