High-Carb Foods To Avoid Or Limit On A Diet In 2024

Dietitians, nutritionists, or physicians might recommend you avoid high-carb foods for many reasons. Watching your carbohydrate intake is a way to aid in weight loss by limiting your daily caloric intake to 20 to 100 grams of whole-grain carbs.

It might also help you manage serious health issues like high cholesterol or diabetes. Depending on your specific health goals, this might make sense.

However, diets with low-carb foods can be hard to stick with long term. You may want to indulge in high-carb favorites and traditional everyday items that are diet staples. To be successful, you have to reject many go-to snacks and meals.

Knowing which high-carb foods to avoid and which healthy carbs are okay can expand your food options and allow you to make healthier decisions.

Carbohydrates And Their Impact On The Body

A carbohydrate is one of the three macronutrients, nutrients our body needs in adequate amounts in addition to fat and protein. Carbohydrates are typically found in certain foods such as sugars, starches, and fiber. You need all three macronutrients to stay healthy and fit.

After you eat carbs, your digestive system works hard to break them down into glucose. Your bloodstream absorbs and uses this to fuel your body as energy.

Keeping your blood sugars balanced is important to your health. The more carbs you consume, the higher your blood sugar. 

Hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar, puts you at risk for diabetes. On the other hand, if you don’t eat enough carbs, you risk developing hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.

How Many Carbs Should You Eat?

If you’re not overweight or suffering from a serious health issue, refer to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It is recommended that 45% to 65%^[1] of your daily calorie intake comes from carbohydrates. This is the same for any age or gender. 

The Food and Drug Administration recommends your daily value for carbs stay at 275 grams per day^[2] when on a 2,000-calorie-a-day diet.

If you must lose weight and your doctor recommends reducing carbs, remove unhealthy carb sources first. This includes refined wheat and any meals with added sugars. 

In addition to cutting out unhealthy foods, include high-fiber carbs in your diet, like legumes, vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. This is because these foods are more nutritious and will less affect your blood sugar.

Are High Carb Foods Always Bad?

Not all high-carb foods are bad, especially when eaten in moderation. However, avoid high-carb diets that recommend meals with large amounts of refined grains and sugar, like candy, chips, white bread, and pasta. 

Other unhealthy high-carb choices include pizza, ready-made meals, and processed foods like sweetened yogurt or granola bars. 

Fast food or fried food should be eaten only on rare occasions. Consuming unhealthy, high-carb foods increases your weight and risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Your nutritionist might recommend some healthy high-carb foods depending on your personal goals. If you want something quick and healthy without a lot of prep, check out these healthy meal delivery options. 

Health Benefits Of Reducing Carbs

Weight Loss

If you’re concerned about carbs and weight gain, most people lose unneeded pounds when they limit carbs. Committing to a regular exercise routine will also aid in this effort. If you want to lose one to 1.5 pounds a week, you can reduce your daily calorie intake by 500 to 750 calories a day.

Reducing the number of carbs, you eat can lead to greater weight loss^[3] over the short term. Unfortunately, it is difficult for many people to stick with a low-carb diet for a long period of time, and this can result in gaining the weight they lost.

Sometimes, cutting carbs isn’t the only reason people experience successful weight loss. You may lose that extra weight because you’re eating more protein and fat than normal, and that’s helping you feel full longer. As a result, you end up eating less.

Decrease In Triglycerides

Triglycerides are fat molecules in your bloodstream that contribute to an increased risk for heart disease. This is especially true of high fasting triglycerides found in the blood after overnight fasts.

One of the main reasons sedentary people have higher levels of triglycerides is the amount of carbs they eat. This is especially true with the simple sugar fructose. When you eliminate or reduce this through low-carb diets, your levels of blood triglycerides^[4] can go down.

Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Avoiding high-carb foods is particularly helpful for the millions of people in the world suffering from diabetes and insulin resistance. Too many carbs cause blood sugar and insulin levels to rise.

A low-carb diet, on the other hand, can help some people with insulin resistance.^[5]

If you have diabetes or take blood sugar medication, talk to your physician before changing your carb intake to prevent hypoglycemia.

High-Carb Foods To Limit For A Healthier You

Check out these high-carb foods to limit optimal health.

Sugar-Coated Cereal

Eating a bowl of sugar-coated cereal comes loaded with processed grains and sugar. Even if it doesn’t seem sugary, check the box for its nutritional value. Avoid this unhealthy beginning to your day. 

Canned Fruit

Canned fruit is usually covered in syrup and juice. Thanks to all that sugar, a single serving of a can of peaches pushes you toward 9% of recommended carbs for the whole day. And that’s just one serving! 

Soda

Avoid soda and other sugary drinks. One eight-ounce glass of soda contains around 26 grams of carbs. Due to its popularity, soda is a common source of empty calories, and drinkers are less likely to drink water and stick to a healthy diet.

Sweetened Yogurt

A dish of fruit-flavored and/or sweetened yogurt can contain as many carbs as dessert. For example, one cup of nonfat sweetened fruit yogurt contains up to 47 grams of carbs, higher than a dish of ice cream! 

While it’s still a more nutritious choice than ice cream, it is still very high in carbs and added sugar.

Juice

A glass of juice can contain many important vitamins and minerals. But juice is also high in carbs, added sugar, and is stripped of its fiber content. Alternatively, eating a whole fruit or vegetable is superior as it contains intact fiber and nutrients. 

As an example, a 12-ounce glass of apple juice contains 42 grams of carbs, and grape juice contains more than 55 grams in the same serving size.

When you do choose to consume a whole fruit or vegetable instead of juice, you still need to go with the lower-carb options. For example, you want to avoid corn, potatoes, apples, and raisins since they contain more carbs than other fruits and veggies.

Healthy Low-Carb Alternatives

Unsweetened Cereal

Do your research and find tasty, low-carb cereals for your morning meal. Cereals with whole grains, for example, can fit into your low-carbohydrate diet and balanced eating plan.  

Find cereals with higher amounts of protein and fiber to hold you over longer. Ideally, look for at least 8 grams of protein and less than 7 grams of added sugar per serving.

Fruits And Veggies

Better than juice or the canned variety, whole fruit contains fiber and plenty of other nutrients you need. Choose from watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberries, plums, kiwi, peaches, starfruit, honeydew, grapefruit, or cranberries. 

High-carb vegetables to avoid include corn and potatoes. Choose less starchy vegetables like broccoli, squash, bell peppers, and asparagus. Tomatoes are also considered fruit and lowest in carbs than others. Mix in some riced cauliflower to add texture and create a meal.

Low-carb green superfoods can be another great way to get in the nutrients you need from fruits and vegetables daily conveniently.

Water

Drinking water aids in digestion and keeps you hydrated. If you’re weaning yourself off soda, try naturally flavored waters. Fill pitchers and add slices of your favorite fruits, veggies, or herbs. This includes limes, oranges, cucumber, mint, or watermelon. 

You can also chop these fruits and veggies up and include them in ice cube trays. Experiment with infused or sparkling water, iced or hot tea, and add lemon slices. 

Naturally Sweetened Yogurt

Get some plain, low-fat, or Greek yogurt and try mixing in some of the following ingredients. Be sure to monitor the portions to still keep the snack low-carb and low-calorie.

• Mashed bananas.
• Applesauce.
• Fresh fruit.
• Cinnamon.
• Vanilla extract.
• Mango puree.
• Nuts.
• Nut butter.

Final Thoughts

When you’re eating carbohydrates, it’s best to avoid processed and refined carbs. Instead, select healthy whole vegetables and fruits. They might contain a few carbohydrates but also offer essential nutrients and health benefits. 

If you have specific health concerns, talk with a registered dietitian, nutritionist, or healthcare provider to determine which high-carb foods^[6] to avoid in your diet.

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