![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Dark-Chocolate-Coffee.jpg\")
Carbohydrates are not bad for you, it\u2019s important that we get that idea out of the way first. Many people incorrectly believe that all carbs are bad and they have become something of scapegoats in the world of nutrition. That is to say that just as people once blamed fats for just about everything, they now blame carbs for everything.<\/p>\n
Carbs are (apparently) partly responsible for any weight gain you might be experiencing. That\u2019s because they can cause a spike in blood sugar, followed by a surge of insulin. The result is that the fats are stored because the body doesn\u2019t have any use to burn them.<\/p>\n
This spike and then trough can also be bad for your mood, causing a kind of hyper period followed by a period of feeling low, lethargic and tired. Worse, we are told that the sugar found in carbohydrates is actually harmful to us and can cause nerve damage and brain fog, not to mention leading to diabetes and insulin insensitivity.<\/p>\n
We used to think that fat was the enemy because it was the most calorific but now we know that it\u2019s not the number of calories that matters but rather where they came from.<\/p>\n
Okay, let\u2019s rewind a moment. All that makes some sense in principle, but it is a mistake to think that this means all carbs are bad. In fact, every food group plays important roles in our diet and if you completely eliminate any one, then you are asking for trouble. We know for instance that going completely low carb can actually lead to very low testosterone. We also need carbohydrates for that instant surge of sugar they provide \u2013 it can help us to perform our best, improve our mood and prevent us from flagging as the day starts to drag on.<\/p>\n
And there are many carbs that are also highly nutritious and good for us in other ways too. Of course one of the biggest examples of this comes in the form of fruits and smoothies which are packed with goodness to support our immune system, brain function and much more.<\/p>\n
The problem is not with carbs per say but with our modern diets and the way we eat carbs. For many of us, our diet is far too reliant on carbs. Worse, is that we tend to gravitate toward the \u2018bad kind\u2019 of carb: the processed simple carb that provides you with lots of sugar but very little in the way of usable nutrients or sustenance.<\/p>\n
With all that in mind, consider this article to be a lesson in mindfulness. Here, you will discover that some of the foods in your diet might just be much larger \u2018carb dumps\u2019 than you realize. We\u2019ll be going over 28 foods that are higher in carbohydrates than you might have thought and we\u2019ll also be assessing each one on the basis of its other strengths and weaknesses. So without further ado\u2026<\/p>\n
Many of us will rely on a morning coffee to get up and get going in the morning. Hey, I\u2019m not judging! I too am more than slightly partial to my morning mug if I\u2019m going to behave anything like a human being.<\/p>\n
And actually caffeine<\/a> itself has many good qualities. Not only has it been proven consistently to boost mental performance in the short term, but it also appears to be very effective when it comes to reducing the signs of age-related cognitive decline in the long term.<\/p>\n The problem is that your morning coffee may well also come with a massive helping of sugar. This is certainly the case if you have a cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles, or even a chai latte. For these reasons, you may want to reconsider!<\/p>\n Speaking of drinks that you probably thought were harmless, soda drinks<\/a> are perhaps the biggest culprits of the lot. The problem with soda drinks is that we tend to think of our food as being the culprit when it comes to carbs, not our drinks.<\/p>\n In fact though, a glass of soda drink can sometimes contain as much sugar as two whole Cream Eggs! It\u2019s pretty mad when you think of it like that, especially when you also bear in mind that this is something in your diet that really has zero nutritional value!<\/p>\n Apples<\/a> are incredibly good for you and they\u2019re also delicious and convenient. The only problem is that that they actually contain a fairly large amount of sugar and of carbs. Just one apple will net you 27 carbs which is not a small amount.<\/p>\n This is actually more than you would get from a single slice of bread, which is what many of us think of when we start trying to avoid carbs in the first place!<\/p>\n A shame, because apples are a great source of fiber, they\u2019re rich in vitamin C and they also contain the all-important nutrient epicatechin, which does all kinds of miraculous things!<\/p>\n Apples, oranges, kiwi fruit\u2026 all these things are well known to be absolutely packed with nutrition that can boost the immune system and help you to feel like a hundred bucks. Thus it only follows that sticking all those things in a blender, whisking and then downing the concoction could only be a great way to boost your health!<\/p>\n The only slight problem? It\u2019s not! Issue here is that smoothies<\/a> are so rich in sugar and carbs as to be borderline dangerous. In fact, if you switch to a juice diet, then it can actually end up stripping the enamel away from your teeth!<\/p>\n You can get away with one smoothie (and there certainly are other benefits to be had here), but just make sure that you consider the ingredients carefully and monitor those carbs!<\/p>\n There are certain foods that we kind of assume must be healthy. Take chick peas<\/a>. They tick all the right boxes \u2013 they\u2019re peas, they\u2019re a bit weird, they\u2019re cultural.<\/p>\n But unfortunately these aren\u2019t going to go in your hipster bars seeing as they contain a fair amount of carbohydrates. One cup contains 35 grams in fact, so think twice before you dip into that humus!<\/p>\n When you go low carb, one of the first things to go out the window is of course bread. This is doubly the case if you believe all the hype about the evils of wheats etc. Thus, you might find yourself turning to other types of bread that are more complex and that therefore might be less of a threat.<\/p>\n But the reality is that rye bread<\/a> is not much better than regular bread in terms of its calories and carbs. A slice of rye bread may be nutritious but it\u2019s not going to work if you\u2019re trying to go ketogenic!<\/p>\n Nothing illustrates the shifting and fickle advice of the health industry quite like the way that opinions have changed on fats. Once thought to be the root of all evil, fats are now recognized for their benefits when it comes to absorbing nutrients, slowing digestion<\/a> and more.<\/p>\n And we now realize the folly of consuming low fat foods. These are simply less filling versions of things that you used to eat but with added sugar to make up for the loss of flavor!<\/p>\n Hey, let\u2019s be healthy tonight \u2013 you might say to yourself. Instead of regular pasta<\/a>, why not have brown pasta?<\/p>\n Sure, it\u2019s a little more nutritious. But if you thought you were somehow sidestepping the carbohydrate problem then think again \u2013 brown pasta is not much better off. Interestingly though, if you want to eat a form of pasta with a better GI, one trick that is shown to work is to cook pasta, let it cool and then heat it up again.<\/p>\n This changes the chemical composition and reportedly makes it slower to release its energy! Now you know\u2026<\/p>\n Soups<\/a> are another thing you might think would be healthy. They\u2019re less filling and satisfying than other meals, heck they\u2019re practically a drink! And on top of that, they\u2019re also full of vegetables.<\/p>\n But not only do those vegetables contain carbs, but so do the added sugars, creams and flavorings that more store-bought soups will add! Read the label!<\/p>\n A bircher cup looks like the ultimate hipster food. This is essentially a pot filled with granola <\/a>and fruit that has then had yogurt poured on top of it.<\/p>\n And once again, this is actually healthy in many ways \u2013 being an excellent source of healthy bacterial cultures among other things. It\u2019s just a shame that it\u2019s not low carb as well.<\/p>\n There are carbs in the berries and raisins, carbs in the granola and probably carbs in the yogurt too!<\/p>\n A salad is safe to eat if you\u2019re going low carb though right? Surely this must be the last bastion of healthy foods you can still eat.<\/p>\n Yep, salad<\/a> is fine. As long as you don\u2019t add too many juicy fruits like peppers and tomatoes. And don\u2019t even think about adding any salad dressing as this is pretty much just sugar in a lot of cases! If you must, then be on the safe side and make it yourself.<\/p>\n Take a bit of white wine vinegar and then mix in with oil. Or instead, how about just adding some feta cheese?<\/p>\n We can extend this rule to pretty much all table sauces in fact.<\/p>\n When you squeeze out some ketchup<\/a> onto your food, some BBQ sauce or some \u2018fruity sauce\u2019; remember that what you\u2019re actually doing is squeezing out liquid sugar.<\/p>\n This may as well be syrup!<\/p>\n I am an amateur bodybuilder and thus one of my crosses to bear is to constantly have friends, relatives and complete strangers come up to me and ask for training advice. Or rather, they just talk at me and tell me what training it is they\u2019re going to be doing.<\/p>\n And what do they often say? That they\u2019ll be taking a protein shake<\/a>. Great! If you\u2019re skinny and you want to build muscle, then great! If you\u2019re muscular and want to start properly bodybuilding, then double great!<\/p>\n But if you want to lose weight then this is all wrong. Most protein shakes do contain a fair amount of sugar so you either need to seek out specifically low sugar options or you should stick to lean sources of natural protein like tuna!<\/p>\n Milk<\/a> is well known for being a fat and a good source of minerals and healthy saturated fats. Problem is that it is also filled with sugar and not super low in carbs.<\/p>\n What about skimmed milk? Well, as with low fat foods, this actually just makes the sugar get absorbed even quicker into the bloodstream and makes the drink less satisfying too.<\/p>\n Thought you could get around this disappointing limitation by drinking milk alternatives instead?<\/p>\n Think again: these also tend to have added sugar to make them sweet. And in fact, options like almond milk<\/a> are packed with natural sugar which is why it\u2019s so sweet!<\/p>\n Everyone thinks beans are healthy. And it\u2019s not that they aren\u2019t but rather that just like many items on this list, they\u2019re not as healthy as everyone wants to believe.<\/p>\n Not only is the protein<\/a> content actually quite negligible, but they\u2019re also high in sugar (especially the ones with added source) and they\u2019re not terribly nutritious. Of course I\u2019m talking specifically about baked beans here.<\/p>\n Okay, so maybe you had a hunch about this one. But still, many people do try to convince themselves that pizza <\/a>is healthy. I mean the cheese is a \u2018healthy fat\u2019 right? And then you\u2019re adding tomatoes and potentially other fruits on top of that?<\/p>\n Sorry, but you\u2019re kidding yourself. Pizza is carb city thanks to the base itself and all the sugar that goes into the topping! Read the calories on your shop bought pizza and you might have to rethink your Monday nights.<\/p>\n Thought you were being good by eating the lean protein brain food that is tuna? Then don\u2019t go ahead and ruin it by also adding a ton of mayonnaise<\/a>.<\/p>\n This may be made from egg and it may be delicious, but there is also a very big helping of sugar in there and it\u2019s far from healthy.<\/p>\n Hopefully as you\u2019re reading this list, you\u2019re getting the message that just because a food is nutritious and conventionally healthy, that doesn\u2019t mean that it is also low carb!<\/p>\n Cranberry sauce<\/a> is a good example of this. Sure, it comes from a fruit. And sure, it\u2019s high in vitamin C. But you\u2019ll also be getting 56 grams of carbs per cup here!<\/p>\n Dates<\/a> are fantastic sources of fiber and they\u2019re great at giving you energy. In fact, they\u2019re often found in cereal bars and even sports bars.<\/p>\n The reason for this? They\u2019re packed with carbs. LOTS of carbs. A single serving of dates (around four) will contain 74 grams of carbs and that is plenty.<\/p>\n Quinoa<\/a> is an interesting alternative to rice that many people think of as a healthy choice. Once again though, these people may be getting fooled by a food that is actually quite high in carbs.<\/p>\n Quinoa contains 39 grams of carbs per cup and isn\u2019t much better than rice really!<\/p>\n This is yet again a choice recommended to those on a diet from carbs. More specifically though, this is a good option for those who want slow carbs, not low carbs.<\/p>\n While the GI is lower than regular potatoes<\/a>, it\u2019s not that much different (still 50) and you\u2019ll still be consuming 41 grams of carbs per cup!<\/p>\n Bananas <\/a>win my award for \u2018most convenient fruit\u2019. They are the easiest to grab and eat and thus for many of us, they are the fruit that we eat most of.<\/p>\n Problem is, bananas are also very sugary and that sugar gets into your system fast. Bananas contain 35 grams of carbs each and this is only really useful for those that want the hit of energy.<\/p>\n Now a bagel <\/a>is something that no one thinks is healthy to begin with. You should know full well when you eat a bagel that you are actually eating something that is a snack and a treat. But did you know just how bad they are? Bagels are likely to give you 55 grams of carbs each and around 277 calories.<\/p>\n That means that if you eat two bagels \u2013 fairly standard practice \u2013 you\u2019ll be consuming nearly 600 calories and that\u2019s before you add any fillings. Bagels have almost zero useful nutrition too and they\u2019re also completely devoid of fiber.<\/p>\n This means you absorb that sugar quickly and it means that they have all the worst traits of a high carb meal. So yes, keep this one as a treat!<\/p>\n Sandwich wraps<\/a> seem like a great idea on paper. Simply, these are sandwiches that don\u2019t contain any bread. Instead, the fillings are held together by either a salad leaf or a mushroom, or something else entirely. The problem is that they\u2019re very often not that healthy at all.<\/p>\n The problem is that if you\u2019re buying these out, then they will very often have a wide range of additives that you don\u2019t want and that aren\u2019t healthy. Common examples include sauces, butters and a range of fillings.<\/p>\n These are the worst kinds of carbs: the carbs that provide us with lots of calories and lots of grams of carb but don\u2019t offer us any key nutrients or health benefits in return. These are empty calories and they are the unfortunate result of viewing food as fuel, moreso than as important building blocks and sustenance for life.<\/p>\n I shouldn\u2019t assume that everyone reading this is as slow as I once was, but I used to think that cereal was a healthier choice than a chocolate bar or snack \u2013 and I imagine that some of you reading this might have thought the same.<\/p>\n IT seems to make sense in theory. After all, cereal is a meal in itself and you wouldn\u2019t eat a pudding for breakfast. But that is essentially what you are doing when you consume many of these cereals<\/a> and especially the ones that are very clearly aimed at kids.<\/p>\n This is especially heinous when you think about it, because it teaches young children to wake up and then expect carbs! Examples that are essentially whole crisps or that have bits of marshmallow floating in the milk are certainly the worst offenders here.<\/p>\n The same goes for cereal bars. These are just like cereal except that they actually try to pretend to be healthy in many cases. While they do have useful complex carbs to offer sustenance, they also contain lots of added sugar and fruits<\/a> and in general their whole deal is to provide you with energy \u2013 i.e. sugar.<\/p>\n It\u2019s funny how it sounds so much better when you call it energy instead of sugar!<\/p>\n Now there are paleo bars and other more natural alternatives but even these contain lots of sugar because that is the whole point afterall. Don\u2019t be fooled!<\/p>\n A strange one to end on perhaps but it\u2019s also one of the biggest culprits when it comes to carbs. This should come as no surprise seeing as it\u2019s so sweet and juicy but just know that if you\u2019re looking to go low carb<\/a>, then this fruit should be off the table.<\/p>\n It actually contains 50 carbs for every single fruit and seeing as you\u2019ll eat half or more in a sitting, that\u2019s a heck of a lot to be consuming while thinking you\u2019re being healthy!<\/p>\n\r\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Soda-Drink.jpg\")
2. \u00a0Soda Drinks<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Apple.jpg\")
3. \u00a0Apples<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Smoothie.jpg\")
4. \u00a0Smoothie<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Chickpeas2.jpg\")
5. \u00a0Chick Peas<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sourdough-Rye.jpg\")
6. \u00a0Rye Bread<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Low-Fat-Food.jpg\")
7. \u00a0Low Fat Foods<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/recooked-Pasta.jpg\")
8. \u00a0Brown Pasta<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Creamy-Soup.jpg\")
9. \u00a0Soups<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Bircher-Cup.jpg\")
10. \u00a0Bircher Cup<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Salad-Dressing.jpg\")
11. \u00a0Salad Dressing<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sauce.jpg\")
12. \u00a0Sauces<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Protein-Shake.jpg\")
13. \u00a0Protein Shakes<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Milk.jpg\")
14. \u00a0Milk<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Almond-Milk.jpg\")
15. \u00a0Milk Alternatives<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Beans.jpg\")
16. \u00a0Beans<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Pizza.jpg\")
17. \u00a0Pizza<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Mayonnaise.jpg\")
18. \u00a0Mayonnaise<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Cranberry-Sauce.jpg\")
19. \u00a0Cranberry Sauce<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/dates.jpg\")
20. \u00a0Dates<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Quinoa.jpg\")
21. \u00a0Quinoa<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sweet-Potato.jpg\")
22. \u00a0Sweet Potato<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Banana.jpg\")
23. \u00a0Banana<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/bagels.jpg\")
24. \u00a0Bagels<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Sandwich-Wrap.jpg\")
25. \u00a0Sandwich Wraps<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/cereals.jpg\")
26. \u00a0Cereal<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Cereal-Bar.jpg\")
27. \u00a0Cereal Bars<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/veryhealthy.life\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/07\/Mango.jpg\")
28. \u00a0Mango<\/h3>\n<\/div>