Carbohydrates provide multiple benefits to the diet. Moreover, they contain fiber, which ensures regularity in digestion and can lower your risk of diabetes and heart disease.

There are healthy carbohydrates and those that are considered ‘empty calories’, providing very little nutritional value. To ensure you are getting the right nutrients, try to consume those carbohydrates listed in the chart below.

Simple Carbs

Fruits

What you should know

* They are digested quickly
* Best to consume these earlier in the day (breakfast), when you are most likely to use the calories
* Many contain refined sugars and few essential vitamins and minerals
* Contain fructose (fruit sugar), sucrose (table sugar), and lactose (milk sugar), as well as several other sugars

Good Food Sources and Serving Size
* Apples (1 medium)
* Applesauce - unsweetened (1/2 cup)
* Banana – 4″ (1)
* Berries (1 cup)
* Cantaloupes (1 cup)
* Cherries (2/3 cup or 12 cherries)
* Dried Fruit (2 T)
* Grapefruit (1/2)
* Grapes (12 – 15)
* Juice - 100% fruit (4 – 6 oz)
* Lemons (1)
* Low-fat Milk (8 oz)
* Oranges (1)
* Pears (1)
* Plums (2 small)
* Prunes (3)
* Soymilk – light (8 oz)
* Watermelon (1/4 cup)
* Yogurt - Low-fat and low sugar or plain (1 cup)

Complex Starchy Carbs

Bread, pasta, rice, cereal

What you should know
* Provide you with raw energy
* They take longer to digest, keeping you fuller longer
* Mix with Complex Fibrous carbs to help slow down the rate of their digestion

Good Food Sources and Serving Size

*  Beans / Legumes – cooked (1/3 cup)
* Bagel - large (1/2)
* Breads – whole wheat, rye, pumpernickel, white (1 slice)
* Cereals (3/4 cup)
* Corn (1/2 cup)
* Hummus (1/4 cup)
* Lentils – cooked (1/3 cup)
* Cooked cereal – Oatmeal, cream of wheat, oat bran (1/2 cup)
* Pasta – cooked (1/2 cup)
* Peas - cooked (1/2 cup)
* Pita (1/2 6″)
* Popcorn – lowfat (3 cups)
* Potatoes – Baked (1 small)
* Puffed Cereal (1 1/2 cup) Rice – Brown (1/2 cup)
* Shredded Wheat (3/4 cup)
* Yams (1/2 cup)

Complex Fibrous Carbs

Vegetables

What you should know
* Cannot be absorbed but are rich in vitamins and minerals
* Fiber cleans your intestines, which allows for better absorption of the nutrients that you get from digestible foods
* Good All Day!

Good Food Sources and Serving Size
*  100% Vegetable Juice (6 oz)
* 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked:
o Asparagus
o Broccoli
o Brussels sprouts
o Cabbage
o Carrots
o Cauliflower
o Celery
o Cucumbers
o Eggplant
o Green beans
o Lettuce
o Mushrooms
o Peppers
o Spinach
o Squash
o Tomatoes
o Zucchini

There are 6 essential nutrients that our bodies require for health, growth, maintenance and development. These are

• protein
• carbohydrates
• fats
• vitamins
• minerals
• water

If we deprive ourselves of any one these nutrients, then we are jeopardizing not only our physical health, but our mental health as well, each through mal-nourishment. Any nutrition educator will tell you that your body needs these nutrients to maintain itself. A deficiency in any one of these life sustaining nutrients could be detrimental. My husband tells clients each day, “Your body needs essential fats, good protein and complex carbohydrates for energy, healing, health, existence AND fat loss or muscle building. Deplete yourself of any one of the three and you’re heading for defeat.”

Introduction
If you’re healthy now and want to stay that way, do you know what to eat? Suggestions on what and how much to eat can be confusing, especially when faced with varied and conflicting nutritional advice.
Mayo Clinic dietitians can help. Here they outline nutritional recommendations designed to promote health and help prevent disease. Use these guidelines to plan your healthy diet. Click on the tabs to the left for a description of recommended nutrients and their amounts.

Carbohydrates
Description: Carbohydrates are your body’s main energy source. Complex carbohydrates include legumes, grains and starchy vegetables, such as potatoes, peas and corn. Simple carbohydrates are found mainly in fruits and milk, as well as in foods made with sugar, such as candy and other sweets.
Recommendation: Get 45 percent to 65 percent of your daily calories from carbohydrates. Emphasize complex carbohydrates, especially from whole grains and beans, and nutrient-rich fruits and milk. Limit sugars from candy and other sweets.

Protein
Description: Protein is essential to human life. Your skin, bones, muscles and organ tissue all contain protein. It’s found in your blood, hormones and enzymes too. Protein is found in many plant foods. It comes from animal sources as well. Legumes, poultry, seafood, meat, dairy products, nuts and seeds are your richest sources of protein.
Recommendation: Between 10 percent and 35 percent of your total daily calories — 50 to 175 grams a day — can come from protein. This recommendation is based on a 2000-calorie diet.

Fat
Description: Fats help your body absorb many essential vitamins, maintain the structure and function of cell membranes, and preserve the integrity of your immune system. But fat is a very concentrated energy source, providing twice as many calories per gram as carbohydrates and protein. And too much of certain types of fat — such as saturated fat and trans fat — can increase your blood cholesterol levels and your risk of coronary artery disease.
Recommendation: Limit fat to 20 percent to 35 percent of your daily calories — 40 to 70 grams of fat a day if you consume a 2000-calorie diet. Emphasize fats from healthier sources, such as nuts and olive, canola and nut oils.

Saturated fat
Description: Saturated fat is most often found in animal products, such as red meat, poultry, butter and whole milk. Other foods high in saturated fat include coconut, palm and other tropical oils. Saturated fat is the main dietary culprit in raising your blood cholesterol and increasing your risk of coronary artery disease.
Recommendation: Limit your daily intake of saturated fat to no more than 10 percent of your total calories. This equals 20 grams of saturated fat if you consume a 2000-calorie diet. Saturated fat intake is part of your total daily allowance for fat.

Trans fat
Description: Trans fat comes from adding hydrogen to vegetable oil through a process called hydrogenation. This makes the fat more solid and less likely to spoil. Trans fat is a common ingredient in commercial baked goods — such as crackers, cookies and cakes — and in fried foods, such as doughnuts and french fries. Shortenings and some types of margarine also are high in trans fat.
Recommendation: The American Heart Association recommends that no more than 1 percent of your total daily calories be trans fat. If you consume 2,000 calories a day, that works out to 2 grams of trans fat or less.

Cholesterol
Description: Cholesterol is vital to the structure and function of all your cells, but it’s also the main substance in fatty deposits (plaques) that can develop in your arteries. Your body makes all of the cholesterol it needs for cell function. You get additional cholesterol by eating animal foods, such as meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, dairy products and butter.
Recommendation: Limit your intake of cholesterol to no more than 300 milligrams a day.

Fiber
Description: Fiber is the part of plant foods that your body doesn’t digest and absorb. There are two basic types: soluble and insoluble. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool and can help prevent constipation. Vegetables, wheat bran and other whole grains are good sources of insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber may help improve your cholesterol and blood sugar levels. Oats, dried beans and some fruits, such as apples and oranges, are good sources of soluble fiber.
Recommendation: Women need 21 to 25 grams of fiber a day, and men need 30 to 38 grams of fiber a day.

Sodium
Description: Sodium helps maintain the right balance of fluids in your body, helps transmit nerve impulses, and influences the contraction and relaxation of muscles. Though necessary, too much sodium can be harmful. Most sodium in a person’s diet comes from eating processed and prepared foods, such as canned vegetables, soups, luncheon meats and frozen foods. Therefore, avoid adding salt during cooking or at the table.
Recommendation: Healthy adults need only between 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams (mg) of sodium a day.

TOFU

While usually considered a healthy choice, new research shows excess tofu consumption may increase the risk of memory loss in the elderly. A new study out of Loughborough and Oxford universities of more than 700 Indonesian people ages 52 to 98 shows that those who ate tofu at least once a day, particularly those in their 60s, had an increased risk of dementia or memory loss.

CARBOHYDRATES

If you want to stave off Alzheimer’s, consider cutting back on the carbs, says Dr. Vincent Fortanasce, author of The Anti-Alzheimer’s Prescription. Overdoing it on carbs causes your insulin to spike. In doing so you’re also causing the insulin-degrading enzyme that exists in the brain to work overtime removing insulin, rather than getting rid of beta-amyloid proteins, the toxic protein that produces Alzheimer’s disease.

HOT FLASHES

New research out of the University of Illinois at Chicago is finally confirming a link between hot flashes and poor verbal memory among women in mid life. In fact, the more hot flashes a woman has, the worse her ability to remember names and stories. A surge in the stress hormone cortisol, which usually accompanies a hot flash, is believed to be the cause.

SMOKING

Middle-aged adults who smoke appear to be at an increased risk of having poor memory, according to a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in June. As if there weren’t enough reasons to quit already, the research also shows that long-term ex-smokers were less likely to have cognitive deficits in memory and vocabulary.

STATINS

New research out of the University of Michigan School of Public Health shows that people at high risk of dementia who took cholesterol-lowering statins were half as likely to develop dementia as those who did not take the prescription medications. One theory is that statins help lower the high insulin levels in the brain linked to Alzheimer’s.

THYROID DISORDER

Memory loss is a common symptom of an underactive thyroid, according to the May issue of the Mayo Clinic Health Letter. That’s because hormones from the thyroid help control a host of bodily functions, ranging from heart rate to mood and memory. Older people with this treatable condition may exhibit only one symptom, such as memory loss or decreasing mental function.

DEPRESSION, ANXIETY

A study published in the journal Neurology in 2007 shows that those who most often experience negative emotions, such as depression and anxiety, were 40% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment than those who were least prone. A transitional stage between normal aging and dementia, mild cognitive impairment is associated with mild memory or cognitive problems.

CHRONIC PAIN

Chronic pain not only affects a person’s ability to work, sleep and function on a daily basis, it can also impair memory. A 2007 University of Alberta study of 24 patients who had pain lasting six months or longer shows that, when tested, two-thirds showed significant disruption of attention and memory.

MARITAL STATUS

New research out of Sweden suggests for the first time that mid-life marital status is related to late-life cognitive function. A Finnish study of more than 1,400 people in mid life and then an average of 21 years later showed that those who were living with a life partner in mid life were significantly less likely to show cognitive impairment compared to all other categories–single, separated, divorced or widowed.

FISH

People who ate tuna and other fish high in omega-3 fatty acids three times or more per week had a nearly 26% lower risk of having the silent brain lesions that can cause dementia and stroke, compared to those who avoided fish, according to research appearing in the August issue of Neurology.

Nacho Cheesier! Doritos
(1 serving = 140 calories, 8g fat, 17g carbs, 1g fiber)

We KNOW how alluring these cheesy little buggers can be, but please don’t go there. The above stats are per serving, BUT those Big Grab bags actually have two servings in them!

Cheetos
(1 serving = 160 calories, 10g fat, 15g carbs, <1g fiber)

Same story as above. If you do decide to give in to your cheesy snack craving, at least stick to one serving and give the rest to a hungry friend.

Chili Cheese Fritos
(1 serving = 160 calories, 10g fat, 15g carbs, 1g fiber)

They always put the fun flavors in the vending machines to pique your interest, don’t they? Promise yourself guilt-free HG nachos later, and pass these banditos by!

Sun Chips
(1 serving = 140 calories, 6g fat, 18g carbs, 2g fiber)
Hmmm, this one’s on the cusp. If low-fat baked chips aren’t an option and you MUST HAVE chips, these are the way to go. No, they aren’t super-low in fat, but at least they have that fiber. The problem with Sun Chips is they’re TOO delicious, so it’s hard not to eat the entire bag which is sometimes (you guessed it) two servings.

Twinkies
(1 cake = 150 calories, 4.5g fat, 27g carbs, 0 fiber)

Oh come on! Who eats just ONE Twinkie when they’re given two? Who does Hostess think they’re fooling? Skip it!

Mrs. Freshley’s Jumbo Honey Bun
(1 package = about 590 calories, 29g fat, 76g carbs, 2g fiber)

You know what? Just don’t eat this. Really. DON’T.

Snickers
(1 bar = 280 calories, 14g fat, 35g carbs, 1g fiber)

Sigh. So hard to say no — but be strong. Find a better substitute if it’s just something sweet you want.

Twix
(1 package = 280 calories, 14g fat, 37g carbs, 1g fiber)

Props for not pulling a Twinkie on us and actually listing the stats for the full package… but it’s still a couple of candy bars. Sorry, folks.

Frosted Brown Sugar Cinnamon Pop-Tarts
(1 Pop-Tart = 210 calories, 7g fat, 34g carbs, <1g carbs)
FOR ONE?! Sure, the words “frosted” and “sugar” are in the name, but that’s still a lot of calories for one tart!

Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies
(4 cookies = 150 calories, 7g fat, 20g carbs, <1g fiber)

The serving size is 4 BITE-SIZED cookies? Not horrible, but probably not worth it.