Complex carbohydrates gradually fuel you, providing long-term energy for activities like an endurance event while simple carbs will give you instant, short-term energy. Complex carbs are found in foods with plenty of starch and fiber such as whole grains, legumes and tubers. Simple carbs are found in fruits, dairy products, refined grains and sweeteners. Foods with complex carbs typically have more grams of carbohydrates than foods with simple carbs.
Large Bagel
If you need a huge dose of carbohydrate, grab a large, everything bagel. This bagel has plenty of seeds sprinkled on top. There are 270 calories with 50 g of carbs in each bagel. The grams of carbohydrate include 3 g of fiber and 6 g of sugar. Nearly 75 percent of the calories in the bagel come from carbs.
Old-Fashioned Oats
One cup of uncooked, old-fashioned oats has 297 calories and 57 g of carbs. There are 9 g of carbohydrate included with a trace amount of sugar. About 75 percent of the calories in a cup of uncooked oatmeal are from carbohydrates.
White Rice
A 1-cup serving of short-grain white rice has 53 g of refined carbs and 242 calories; practically all the carbs come from starch as there are trace amounts of fiber and 0 g of sugar. Nearly 90 percent of the calories in short-grain rice are from carbs. A cup of long-grain white rice has 205 calories and plenty of carbs at 45 g. Short-grain rice is noticeably sticky compared to long-grain rice. This is the type of rice more commonly found in sushi.
Enriched Spaghetti Noodles
Spaghetti noodles have 40 g of carbohydrate per cup and 197 calories. Eighty-one percent of the calories in spaghetti noodles come from carbs, 14 percent from protein and 4 percent from fat.
Banana
One large banana has 125 calories and 32 g of fat, of which 3 g are from fiber. A banana is practically 100 percent carbohydrate.
Cranberry Juice
A cup of cranberry juice packs quite a carbohydrate punch with 32 g of carbs. This juice has 130 calories, of which 100 percent of the calories are from carbs.
Baked Potato
The flesh of a baked potato measuring about 4-3/4 inches long, and about 2-1/2 inches wide has 145 calories with 34 g of carbs. The grams of carbohydrate include 2 g of fiber and 1 g of sugar. If you want a food with the highest percentage of calories from carbs, grab the baked potato; it has nearly 95 percent of its calories from carbs.
References
- "Exercise Physiology, Energy, Nutrition & Human Performance"; William McArdle, Frank Katch and Victor Katch; 2007
- University of California Los Angeles: Dining: Complexity of Carbs
- "The NutriBase Complete Book of Food Counts"; NutriBase; 2001
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