Carbohydrates include a wide range of
foods that are major energy sources for
your body. One pyramid serving is about
70 calories. Most carbohydrates are
plant-based. They include grain
products, such as breads, cereals and
pasta, and certain starchy vegetables,
such as potatoes and corn. Which kind
should you focus on?
Think of all the carbohydrate-containing
foods laid out in a line. At one end are
whole wheat, oats and brown rice. In the
middle, white flour, white rice, potatoes
and pastas. And at the other end are
highly processed products — cookies,
candies and soft drinks.
The foods in that spectrum incorporate
all three kinds of carbohydrates: fiber,
starch and sugar. It’s not hard to point to
the healthy and less healthy ends — less
refined whole grains on one end, highly
refined sugar on the other.
The health pros and cons of many items
in the middle aren’t so clear. Rice,
pasta, bread and potatoes can all shift
depending on how they’re processed and
served.
Consider, for example, white and
whole-wheat (whole-grain) breads. Both
begin as nutrient-rich whole grains, as
do both white and brown rice. During
processing, however, the grain’s bran
and germ are refined away, taking with
them many of their vitamins and almost
all of their fiber. That’s why it’s wise to
choose whole-grain breads, pastas and
cereals, and to serve brown rice instead
of white.
Similarly, the edible skins so often
removed from potatoes and sweet
potatoes are full of nutrients and fiber.
When picking carbohydrates, the key
word is whole. Generally, the less
refined a carbohydrate food, the better it
is for you.
