![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mango.jpg\")
Eating a low carb diet is tough work. After all, most of us will place carbs with the vast majority of our meals. Eating meat? Then chances are you\u2019ll have potatoes and vegetables on the side with it. Having eggs? Then likely there will be chips or similar on the side. For most of us lunch means sandwiches and breakfast means buttered toast\u2026 there\u2019s just no getting away from the carbs!<\/p>\n
So you try to eliminate some of those carbs and what you\u2019re left with is a series of meals that just don\u2019t fill you up and sustain you as perhaps they should or that just feel like something is missing.<\/p>\n
But those of us who subscribe to the low carb diet and who are keen to lose weight while keeping our blood sugar low and energy levels high will probably stick at it all the same. We\u2019re too dedicated to just give up when the going gets tough!<\/p>\n
But there\u2019s only so much that dogmatic persistence can do for you. At the end of the day, you can only avoid carbs if you are able to correctly identify them.<\/p>\n
What if. What if you were putting in all that hard work, avoiding bread, potato, pasta and more\u2026 but you were actually still consuming large amounts of carbohydrates from other sources?<\/p>\n
What if all your hard work were for naught?<\/p>\n
This is a very real possibility, seeing as there are countless carbs that hide in plain sight. Many foods that we think are healthy alternatives, superfoods and generally \u2018okay to eat\u2019 could in fact be causing us more harm than good.<\/p>\n
So in this post, we\u2019re going to help you to avoid that possibility by taking a look at 31 foods that are surprisingly high in carbohydrates\u2026<\/p>\n
Mangos<\/a> are one of those perfect fruits on the face of it. They are incredibly juicy and packed with nutrition and that means that you can enjoy eating them, all while knowing that you\u2019re getting a ton of health benefits at the same time. Yes, this is that rare thing: a tasty health food! Many people are under the impression that their breakfast cereal<\/a> is healthier than a snack or a chocolate bar. I know people who will have a \u2018healthy treat\u2019 by pouring themselves a bowl of their favorite cereal instead of raiding the cupboard. Whether this is really healthier of course depends on the type of cereal you go for. But whatever the case, the likelihood is that the cereal will not be as healthy as you think it is. Essentially, most cereals boil down to carbs (grains or biscuits) with more carbs packed on top (fruit, chocolate, sugar).<\/p>\n If you want to go as healthy as possible, then choose porridge oats for your way to start the day. These aren\u2019t perfect still, but the release of sugar is at least very slow.<\/p>\n Cereal bars are just as bad as cereal in many cases and are simply made of a ton of carbohydrates<\/a>. Look for the cereal bars that are packed with nuts and sources of fiber as these will add some protein to the mix and slow the absorption of all that sugar. Avoid those that taste too extremely sweet and of course just check the packet for the cereal bars that have the lowest carbs.<\/p>\n These are useful foods because they can see you through the day and stop you snacking. But don\u2019t be mistaken: they are carbohydrates through and through.<\/p>\n When trying to go healthy and avoid carbs, you will likely eat a lot of \u2018replacement meals\u2019 and \u2018replacement foods\u2019. In other words, you will eat things that can go in the place of carbs but which are going to be less sugar-packed than the genuine article. A good example is a sandwich wrap<\/a>, which can have all the fillings of a sandwich wrapped in a thinner kind of bread or perhaps even a salad leaf. A salad leaf! That\u2019s got to be healthy, right?<\/p>\n Well again it depends. Because very often those sandwich wraps include not just meat and veg, but various types of sauce and toppings. That all adds to the calories and certainly adds to the sugar content, making this more carborific than you probably thought.<\/p>\n Fizzy drinks like CocaCola and 7-Up are just brimming with sugar. They can destroy your teeth and they offer very little in the way of nutritional benefit (if anything). Some of these soda drinks contain so much sugar as to rival two Cadbury\u2019s Cream Eggs. Which is mad.<\/p>\n So why are they on the list? Because it\u2019s all too easy to forget what you drink when you are calculating what carbs you\u2019re allowed. If you just ate spinach<\/a> for breakfast and then drank a glass of Coke, you\u2019re undoing all the good work!<\/p>\n Even less obvious drinks might be responsible for sneaking sugar into your diet though. Take squash<\/a> for instance. This is a tiny amount of concentrated liquid that you squirt into a glass of water to provide it with a somewhat mild but refreshing taste. Squash is a great way to make your drink more enjoyable but it is also going to add more sugar yet again. Avoid it if you want to keep your diet truly low-carb.<\/p>\n Raisins<\/a> strike us as healthy because they\u2019re technically fruit and because they\u2019re so small. What harm could they possibly do? They also make things taste better and so many of us are prone to just sprinkling them all over our food willy-nilly (yes, I said willy-nilly).<\/p>\n But raisins can cause harm. If you have just a small 1.5oz box of raisins, you\u2019ll actually be consuming 34 grams of sugar which is quite a lot. This is important to keep in mind because if you\u2019re sprinkling them on top of your oats, then they\u2019re not as low carb any more!<\/p>\n After all, the aim of a low carb diet is not just to keep the calories down: it is to avoid spiking the blood sugar to release insulin. It doesn\u2019t matter where the sugar comes from \u2013 if you consume simply carbs, you undo this objective!<\/p>\n Bagels<\/a> are all over the place at the moment and many people will enjoy grabbing one on the way into work. They also tend to be stuffed with foods that we know are good for us, such as salmon and avocado\u2026 maybe some eggs!<\/p>\n But bagels are actually really bad for you when it comes to your carbohydrate intake. A single bagel comes with 55 grams of carbs which hit you with 277 calories and barely any fiber. This is a massive sugar hit so having that \u2018one small bagel\u2019 could well be hampering all of your weight loss and health goals. Time for a rethinks, methinks.<\/p>\n Juice drinks are almost as bad for you as soda<\/a> drinks when it comes to sugar content. Sure, the sugar is natural (as long as you look for \u2018no added sugar\u2019 on the label) and sure, juice drinks offer you a lot more nutrition and other benefits.<\/p>\n But it\u2019s still sugar. Sugar is sugar, whether it\u2019s from fruit or anything else. And thus, if you are drinking large amounts of apple juice or orange juice, you\u2019ll be raising your vitamin C but you\u2019ll also be spiking your blood sugar something rotten.<\/p>\n The best drink for a low carb diet? Water.<\/p>\n Couscous<\/a> is often assumed to be healthy because it is natural and it looks a lot like quinoa (more on that in a moment!). It seems like a great alternative to rice that you can consume in large amounts and get lots of nutrition from.<\/p>\n But actually couscous provides 23grams of carbs for every 100 grams and not all that much fiber. It has small amounts of vitamin B6 (5% of your RDV) and even smaller amounts of iron and magnesium\u2026 and that\u2019s about it. You know what they say about assumptions\u2026<\/p>\n Don\u2019t get me wrong: bananas are great for many things. These are an excellent source of energy, they\u2019re quick and easy to eat and they contain plenty of nutrients \u2013 potassium<\/a> in particular. Great for athletes, good for stopping cramp and delicious too. But they also provide you with 35 grams for each one and that sugar actually hits you particularly quickly. So if you want to keep your blood sugar down, then this healthy snack isn\u2019t for you.<\/p>\n Remember though, your aim is to go \u2018low carb\u2019 and not \u2018no carb\u2019. You can sneak these in from time to time. Perhaps after a HIIT workout!<\/p>\n Remember when we said juice was high in carbs? (You should do, it was only two items ago\u2026). Well now imagine if you take a whole bunch of juices and mix together. That\u2019s right: carb central. And it gets even worse if you consume smoothies<\/a> that you bought ready made as they will often have syrup, honey and other sweeteners in them too. Make your own veggie smoothie if you want to avoid the sugar!<\/p>\n Cranberry<\/a> sauce is a delicious sauce that you can add to a range of different foods in order to make them that much tastier. And seeing as cranberry sauce is also made from a berry, you can bet it\u2019s got a fair amount of vitamin C. But it\u2019s also high in added sugar and has a surprisingly large amount of carbs: 56 grams per cup to be precise!<\/p>\n Similarly, mayonnaise<\/a> is something else you might find yourself adding to your healthy foods in order to make them even more enjoyable. Tuna and mayonnaise is a match made in food heaven for instance and we all know how good tuna is for us.<\/p>\n While mayonnaise is made from egg, it also contains lots of sugar and is actually pretty bad on the whole. It will also significantly raise the calories in your meals!<\/p>\n Dates<\/a> contain 74 grams of carbs for ever serving (which is around four dates). That\u2019s a whole lot of carbohydrates for some pretty small things! They\u2019re often placed in energy ball and energy bar recipes for this very reason. You want a sudden hit of energy? Then great. Otherwise, stay away from the dates!<\/p>\n We learned earlier that couscous wasn\u2019t as healthy as it looked. But we all know quinoa<\/a> is good for us right? In fact, this is a staple of many low carb diets and is one of those very trendy foods like avocado, egg or kale. Don\u2019t be fooled though, this is still a carb and actually at 39 grams per cup, it\u2019s not a particularly light carb either. It does come with lots of protein and fiber though and it will release that energy slowly. So this one maybe gets a pass. Maybe.<\/p>\n Like quinoa, sweet potato<\/a> is something you have perhaps been led to believe is fine for a low carb diet. Sweet potato may not be a conventional carb and it might release its energy more slowly than say, regular potato. But it\u2019s still got 41 grams of carb per cup cubed and it\u2019s GI is still 50. In other words, you need to be careful with those sweet potato fries and stop kidding yourself they\u2019re fine!<\/p>\n Pizza<\/a> is not a health food in anyone\u2019s eyes but perhaps you thought if you home-made the pizza and used only healthy toppings then you could get away with it?<\/p>\n Not really. It\u2019s the base itself that is a very simple carb and which will net you 36 grams of carbs per slice. If you eat 5 slices then that\u2019s a lot of carbs.<\/p>\n Protein shakes<\/a> are called protein shakes for a reason: they contain protein. This is likely why you take them and you probably don\u2019t think much about the other ingredients.<\/p>\n But a lot of protein shakes will contain additional carbs. Not only is most protein shake made from milk, immediately adding carbs to the mix, but a lot of it will come with added sugar and flavorings. You thought your chocolate chip cookie protein shake didn\u2019t have carbs? If you have a \u2018bulking\u2019 shake, then things get even worse.<\/p>\n The best protein shake is an egg protein if you want to go low carb. Otherwise, look for whey, soy or casein with a \u2018diet\u2019 prefix.<\/p>\n Baked beans<\/a> used to be considered a health food but in reality, they\u2019re actually not all that good for you. Not only do they not offer a ton of nutrition, but they\u2019re also actually a source of carbs and one cup has a whopping 54 grams to be specific. They do offer a little protein and fiber but they are not a healthy alternative.<\/p>\n Yogurt<\/a> is a dairy product that is made up partly of fat and also offers a great source of calcium. However, it also tends to contain a fair amount of sugar (which the healthy bacteria feeds on) and you\u2019ll get upward of 40 grams of carbs for a single 8 ounce serving. This only gets much worse once you add flavorings and crunchy biscuits into the mix.<\/p>\n Milk is a fat but it\u2019s one that has plenty of sugar in it. Milk is sweet and creamy and used in a ton of desserts which should clue you in on the fact that it\u2019s not super-low in carbs. Not only that but if you drink \u2018low fat\u2019 milk, then you actually remove one of the barriers to absorption and increase the GI, meaning that the sugar hits faster. Milk has plenty of health benefits so don\u2019t remove it entirely from your diet \u2013 but do keep an eye on how much you drink and track that in your overall tally.<\/p>\n So if milk<\/a> isn\u2019t carb free, what about soy milk? Nope, you can\u2019t get away with that either I\u2019m afraid! Soy milk comes from soy beans and those beans are rich in carbs. Complex carbs to be fair, but carbs nonetheless. This means that even soy milk will get you 15 grams of carbs, which is actually more than regular old dairy.<\/p>\n Tomato sauce<\/a> is another topping you might be adding to your meals to make them tastier. Well\u2026 stop it! Tomatoes themselves are actually a relatively high source of carbohydrates (although complex) and tomato sauce in particular adds a lot of sugar on top of that. Again, if you just cooked yourself up a healthy low-carb meal and then added a dollop of tomato ketchup\u2026 well then you undid your good work.<\/p>\n The same can go for many salad <\/a>dressings. While some are just oil and vinegar (normally the ones you make yourself!) others contain large amounts of sugar, sweeteners and calories. This is once again a good way to ruin a perfectly healthy meal, so stick with the ingredients you already have in your cupboard. They\u2019re cheaper too!<\/p>\n Barbeque sauce<\/a> once again adds a bunch of sugar and other carborific flavorings to any piece of meat. Meat is a protein with added fat, meaning it is low carb and a great way to fill yourself up. But add BBQ sauce and it becomes a much more calorific, blood-spiking dish.<\/p>\n You\u2019d think that a bircher cup would be healthy, except that it actually combines a whole bunch of carbs! In case you\u2019re not aware of the trendy health food, this is yogurt<\/a> with added granola and fruit. Well, we\u2019ve already seen that cereal contains carbs (though complex) and that yogurt contains carbs. Seeing as the berries and raisins that are normally added contain carbs too\u2026 well, you get the idea!<\/p>\n Soups<\/a> are often made from a combination of fruits, vegetables and cream. Often potato or something similar is used as a base. And if you buy your soup from the store ready made, then it\u2019s likely to contain a whole bunch of added sugar (and salt and e-numbers) as well. Make your own if you want a safe option but never assume that soup = low carb.<\/p>\n Brown pasta<\/a> is another one of those \u2018alternative\u2019 foods that low carbers think they can get away with guilt free. Unfortunately, it\u2019s not quite that simple. While brown pasta does have a lower GI, the difference is actually only quite slight. Not only that, but it is still a big old bowl of carbs, whatever way you slice it.<\/p>\n Low fat foods are often sold as being healthy and ideal for weight loss<\/a>. Actually though, they could not be further from that! Take a food and remove the fat and you\u2019re left with something that has an even higher GI because the fat is not there to slow down the absorption. Not only that but you lose a lot of the flavor and a lot of the satiating qualities. So what do manufacturers do? Add even more sugar and salt!<\/p>\n Rye bread<\/a> is a bread that has a lower GI when compared with regular bread. The same goes for wholegrain. These types of bread are also much more nutritious. But you know what? They\u2019re still carbs and the GI isn\u2019t that low. So once again, you mustn\u2019t think you can get away with eating as much as you like!<\/p>\n Chick peas<\/a> might sound like a great choice of healthy flavoring but actually, a single cup contains 35 grams. On the plus side, they are still very complex and actually have a GI of around 8 when eaten as humus. This might just be okay to dip your carrots in then, but don\u2019t snack away on too many.<\/p>\n One large apple<\/a> comes with 27 grams of carbs. That\u2019s actually more carbohydrates than you would get from a slice of bread! People are so keen to demonize bread that they forget all the other culprits hiding in plain sight.<\/p>\n Finally, strongly reconsider your morning coffee if you get it from Starbucks or Costa, in which case it likely has large amounts of milk, cream and sugar added. If you want to make this healthier, then switch to black Americano or an Espresso. In this case, the caffeine<\/a> content will also speed up your metabolism helping you to lose weight!<\/p>\n\r\n
But not so fast! While the mango might seem sweet and innocent on the outside, it actually hides a sinister fact\u2026 it\u2019s high in carbs! You\u2019ll get 50 grams of carbs per every fruit in fact, which is a lot. It\u2019s all that sugar that makes it taste so nice in the first place. So don\u2019t assume that just because something is packed full of vitamin C that it will necessarily be that good for you all round. It\u2019s not even that high in fiber, which means that you can absorb that sugar quite quickly.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/cereals.jpg\")
2. \u00a0Cereal<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Weetabix.jpg\")
3. \u00a0Cereal Bars<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Salad-Wrap.jpg\")
4. \u00a0Sandwich Wraps<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Soda.jpg\")
5. \u00a0Soda<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/acornsquash.jpg\")
6. \u00a0Squash<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Raisins.jpg\")
7. \u00a0Raisins<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/bagels.jpg\")
8. \u00a0Bagels<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Juice-Drinks.jpg\")
9. \u00a0Juice Drinks<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Couscous.jpg\")
10. \u00a0Couscous<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Banana.jpg\")
11. \u00a0Banana<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Smoothie.jpg\")
12. \u00a0Smoothie<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Cranberry-Sauce.jpg\")
13. \u00a0Cranberry Sauce<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Mayonnaise.jpg\")
14. \u00a0Mayonnaise<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/dates.jpg\")
15. \u00a0Dates<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Quinoa.jpg\")
16. \u00a0Quinoa<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Sweet-Potato.jpg\")
17. \u00a0Sweet Potato<\/h3>\n
You poor fool.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Pizza.jpg\")
15. \u00a0Pizza<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Protein-Shake.jpg\")
16. \u00a0Protein Shakes<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Kidney-Beans.jpg\")
17. \u00a0Beans<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Yogurt.jpg\")
18. \u00a0Yogurt<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Milk.jpg\")
19. \u00a0Milk<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Goats-Milk.jpg\")
20. \u00a0Milk Substitutes<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/tomato-Sauce.jpg\")
21. \u00a0Tomato Sauce<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Salad-Dressing.jpg\")
22. \u00a0Salad Dressing<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/BBQ-Sauce.jpg\")
23. \u00a0BBQ Sauce<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Bircher-Cup.jpg\")
24. \u00a0Bircher Cup<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Creamy-Soup.jpg\")
25. \u00a0Soups<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Brown-Pasta.jpg\")
26. \u00a0Brown Pasta<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Low-Fat-Food.jpg\")
27. \u00a0Low Fat Foods<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Sourdough-Rye.jpg\")
28. \u00a0Rye Bread<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Chickpeas2.jpg\")
29. \u00a0Chick Peas<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Apple.jpg\")
30. \u00a0Apples<\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/simplyhealth.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/05\/Dark-Chocolate-Coffee.jpg\")
31. \u00a0Morning Coffee<\/h3>\n<\/div>