Foods which are high in carbohydrates are also high on the glycemic index, which means that they are harder for the body to burn off as fuel and are more likely to make a person gain weight. Carbohydrates must be burned by the body and provide four units of energy or calories per gram. While avoiding carbohydrates completely may not be the healthiest choice, eating too many carbohydrates forces the body to store energy as fat.
Fruits and Vegetables
While eating a variety of fruits and vegetables provides the body with a healthy range of vitamins and minerals, there are some that are best avoided when trying to cut down on carbohydrates. According to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the highest-carb vegetable is a baked potato, which has 30 carbohydrates per serving. One ear of corn on-the-cob has 28 grams of carbohydrates per serving, one serving of lima beans has 20 per serving and peas have 15 per serving. High carbohydrate fruits include apples, bananas and oranges.
Breads and Cereals
When avoiding carbohydrates, breads and cereals should be at the top of the list. White bread has 12 carbohydrates per slice. Even though grains are full of fiber, one slice of wheat berry bread contains 23 carbohydrates. Depending on the size and type, bagels are perhaps the highest carbohydrate bread, ranging within 25 to 60 each per serving.
Cereals which are highest in carbohydrates include Raisin Bran at 47, instant Cream of Wheat at 134 and Nature Valley Granola cereal at 44 grams of carbohydrates per serving.
Snacks and Sweets
Not surprisingly, the average delicious donut will give you a whopping 65 grams of carbohydrates per serving. A slice of chocolate cake is 48 grams per serving and one package of M & M's will give you 33 carbohydrates.
Many salty snacks are also high in carbohydrates. Even Lay's brand of low-fat mesquite barbecue chips has 22 grams or carbohydrate per serving. Other high-carb snacks include cookies, crackers and granola bars.
Other Foods
When preparing foods, consider the carbohydrate content of the ingredients you may be using. For example, one serving of white flour has an extremely high carbohydrate level of 87 per cup. White sugar has 200 grams of carbohydrates per cup and 1 oz. of pancake syrup averages around 27 grams per serving. It may be best to skip those pancakes anyway, since the amount of carbohydrates in the average pancake is around 30 each.
References
- The Nutribase Guide to Carbohydrates, Calories & Fat; Cyber Soft, Inc.; 2001
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology
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