Carbohydrates are one of the three energy sources in human nutrition, along with fats and proteins. Although carbs are a necessary part of your diet, Harvard nutritionist Walter Willett reports that too many carbohydrates hit the body the same way too much sugar will. This can cause health problems ranging from obesity to type 2 diabetes.
White Bread
A slice of white bread is almost one-half carbohydrates while providing only .2g of dietary fiber, .7g of protein and nothing else of value. Compare this to whole grain bread. Although it has the same carbohydrate density, nearly 10 times as many carbs are from healthy dietary fiber. The same amount of whole grain bread carries four times as much protein.
Refined Grain Pasta
Willett warns against refined grain pasta, reporting that the refinement process strips nutrients and dietary fiber from the flour. When the fiber is stripped, the remaining carbohydrates are as easily digested as sugar. This creates the same sugar crash and resulting snack craving you would get from eating a candy bar. To keep your blood sugar levels even, replace refined grain pasta with whole grain pasta.
White Rice
White rice, like refined grain pasta, delivers its low-nutrition carbohydrates in a quick rush, says Willett. Wild rice, brown rice and whole grain rice are healthier alternatives. For example, the same amount of white and brown rice has the same number of carbohydrates. However, the white rice contains only 1.7g of dietary fiber and 3.5g of protein. Brown delievers 6.5g of fiber and almost 15g of protein.
Baked Potato
Long the darling of health food proponents, the baked potato now rates low on the nutrition scale. Willett likens eating its easily digested starches to swallowing spoonful after spoonful of raw, white sugar. A single small potato delivers only 10% of its carbohydrates as healthy dietary fiber and contains even less protein than white rice.
References
- "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy"; Dr. Walter Willett, et al; 2006
- The Calorie Counter: Nutrition Information Database
