Despite what some fad diets would contend, carbohydrates are not the enemy at meal time. Carbs are essential for "providing fuel for physical activity and for proper organ function," according to the Harvard School of Public Health newsletter. The trick is to consume carbs that also deliver vitamins, nutrients, fiber and other essential elements in a healthy and well-balanced diet. Unfortunately, many foods that are high in carbs are delicious but do not provide those other important healthy features.
Bagels
Bagels can be handy and tasty breakfast foods, but they contain about 35 grams of carbohydrates, even without cream cheese or any topping. Cinnamon-raisin and other sweet varieties can contain 49 grams.
Baked Potatoes
A 5-oz. baked Russet potato contains 30 carbohydrates and 130 calories, even without butter, sour cream or other topping. Potatoes also include plenty of potassium and some other nutrients, but if you're looking to cut carbs and calories, you might want to steer clear of potatoes for awhile.
Cereals
Whole-grain cereals might register higher on the carb scale than many other foods, but because they contain fiber and other healthy ingredients, they might be worth the carbs. Half-a-cup of Grape-Nuts, for example, contains 48 grams of carbs and 208 calories. That same serving also provides most of the iron you'll need all day, as well as healthy amounts of fiber, protein and vitamin A.
Pasta
Pasta lovers might cringe, but spaghetti and the rest of the noodle family have some of the highest carb totals around. Just 3/4 of a cup of spaghetti packs 44 carb grams. At 200 calories and a gram of fiber, it's not offering much nutritionally either, other than some protein and iron. You can offset some of that nutritional imbalance by going with whole-grain or spinach pasta, which will bring a few more healthy benefits to your plate.
Fruit
Even though many fruits are relatively high in carbs, they also contain many vitamins and nutrients that are vital to good health. So if you're going to have carbs in your diet, fruits should be among your main sources. A small banana might have around 18 carb grams and 70 calories, but it also has potassium and vitamin C and makes for a filling snack that's much healthier than some processed snack options.
Junk Food
Junk food is probably an obvious source of high carbs, but it's still alarming to see just how many carbohydrates and empty calories are in snack foods and soda. For example, just 1 oz. of Tostitos tortilla chips has at least 18 grams of carbs, 140 calories and very little nutritional value while a 12-oz. can of Coke packs a whopping 36 grams of carbs. In a University of Minnesota news report on the importance of nutrition and weight loss, the key to sensible eating is not avoiding carbs, but avoiding the bad carbs that come in high-calorie foods: "The problem with weight control is how many calories you consume. So cut the sugary drinks or refined-starchy snacks, but don't neglect the 'good' carbs."
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