Carbohydrates have somehow gotten a bad reputation over the years. While calories in carbs can add up, foods that contain carbs are essential for providing energy, proper body function and adding fiber to the diet. The following is a list of carbohydrate contents found in starches.

Starches are the foods we think of first when we think of carbs. These are things like bread, pasta and rice. Bread, pasta and rice can be bad or good. Good carbs provide the body with fiber and other nutrients that are necessary for good health. The good varieties of these foods are those made from whole grains. White rice and starches made from refined grains are “bad carbs.” After being processed, they have no nutritional value.

A typical 1 ounce bread serving will contain 15 grams of carbohydrate. This would be a regular slice of wheat or white bread, a dinner roll, croissant or mini bagel. Light or low carb breads are reduced to 7-9 grams. Larger bread products contain more. Hamburger and hot dog buns have 20 grams and a bulkier sandwich roll might have as many as 30 grams. 30g is also the content for most regular sized muffins and English muffins.

Both white and brown rice pack 45g per cooked cup. Spaghetti and other pastas have 40g per cooked cup, although some smaller shapes will contain less, such as small shells which have about 30g. One cup of cooked oatmeal will give you 30g of carbohydrates. Other cereals can vary from 15 to 45 grams per serving. Always check labels for accurate information.

The refined and “white” versions of these food items are processed, which basically removes the nutritional benefits from the food. Fiber is destroyed in processing and in essence they provide empty calories with no value.

Diets high in these empty calories tend to lead to obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. A wise decision is to replace these bad carbs with the good kinds. You will have more energy, feel better and be in better overall health.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 8th, 2010 at 6:50 am and is filed under Massage Therapy. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.