Carbohydrates are your body's main energy source. While complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains and starchy vegetables, provide rich amounts of nutrients and heart-healthy fiber, refined carbohydrates can dampen your wellness. For optimum health, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends a diet that has 45 to 65 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates and choosing healthy varieties most often. For specific ways to improve your diet, seek guidance from a qualified dietary professional.
Added Sugars
Added sugars, such as table sugar, brown sugar and high fructose corn syrup, are refined carbohydrates used to add sweetness to foods and beverages. The problem with added sugars is that they provide calories and sweetness, yet few, if any, nutritional benefits. While naturally occurring sugar, found in fruits, vegetables and dairy products, are harmless, added sugars can lead to tooth decay, weight gain and high triglycerides, according to MayoClinic.com. Foods and beverages high in added sugars include soda, candy, pastries, pies, cakes, cookies, jellies, frostings, blended coffee drinks, canned fruit in heavy syrup, pancake syrup and many breakfast cereals. Additional sources of added sugars include honey, dextrose, molasses, maltose, sucrose and cane syrup.
Enriched Flour, Pasta and Rice
Enriched flour, whether white or wheat, is a processed grain that contains few nutrients and less fiber than whole-grain flours and unprocessed whole grains. Foods made with enriched flour, such as breads, baked goods and snack foods, can spike your blood sugar level and leave little room in your diet for nutritious carbohydrates. To improve your nutrient intake and your heart health and lower your risk for certain forms of cancer, the Harvard School of Public Health recommends cutting back on enriched breads, baked goods, pasta and rice. For best results, check food labeling before purchasing carbohydrate-containing foods. If the word "enriched" is among the top ingredients or the food contains little fiber, an alternate whole grain-based food is healthier.
Fried Carbohydrates
Fried foods provide saturated and trans fats -- unhealthy fats linked with obesity, Type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Fried carbohydrates, such as doughnuts, potato chips and deep-fried chicken, provide refined carbohydrates and unhealthy fats -- a double nutritional whammy. To improve your wellness, avoid fried restaurant foods and grill, bake or steam food at home. When buying commercially prepared foods, check food labels to determine foods' saturated and trans fat content. The American Heart Association recommends limiting your saturated fat intake to no more than 7 percent of your daily calories and trans fats to no more than 1 percent of your total calories.
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