Watch Out: These Foods Are Full Of Carbohydrates

Gourmandize Staff, 07/11/2017

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If you want to lose weight, you should avoid these foods!

The Carbohydrate Bait-and-Switch

Low-carb diets have been a popular weight-loss tool for decades, and it's no surprise why. While carbohydrates provide your body with energy, many carbs (onced digested) will cause insulin spikes — giving you energy highs and crashes, and causing cravings later on in the day (which in turn can lead to more eating).

But cutting out carbs isn't as simple as cutting out grains (like bread, pasta and rice). Carbohydrates like to hide in many foods, usually in the form of sugars and starches. Here are some sneaky carbs that you might be eating without knowing it...

Fruit

There's a reason they call it nature's candy: fruit contains sugar, which also unfortunately means carbs.

A medium-sized apple contains about 18 grams of carbs, while a banana contains 20. This may not seem like a lot, but if you eat 3-4 pieces of fruit in a day, the numbers add up!

But you can still enjoy a little fruit on a low-carb diet. Berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries, are all low-carb — howevering around 5-6 grams of carbohydrate per 100 grams of fruit.

Pulses

Wait... What are pulses?! Pulses include beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils.

Not all pulses hide sneaky carbs, but you should watch out for lentils (20 grams of carbs), chickpeas (61 grams of carbs), and kidney beans (60 grams of carbs).

*Grams of carbs per 100 gram serving

Flavored Yogurts

Flavored yogurts are a big no-no when trying to follow a low-carb diet. All those flavoring sugars count as carbohydrates, and are sure to wreak havoc on your diet.

Looking for a creamy snack alternative? Try plain Greek yogurt — it's got 3.6 grams of carbs per 100 grams of yogurt, and will fill you up more than any low-fat or sweetened varities. You can flavor it up with cocoa powder or dark chocolate shavings.

Peanut Butter

Peanut butter packs a solid 20 grams of carbs per 100 gram serving... But a thinly spread tablespoon over celery should be just fine.

Ketchup and Other Condiments

Sure, that sandwich looks healthy... But then you douse it in ketchup, barbeque sauce, or other condiments! Be careful, those condiments have a lot of added sugar, and pack a fair amount of carbs.

When it comes to carbs, ketchup contains 26 grams, barbeque sauce 41 grams, and honey mustard sauce 26 grams.

Milk

If you enjoy your morning coffee with milk, it means you're also eating carbohydrates. A cup of whole milk contains approximately 12 grams of carbohydrates.