FUN WORLD

How to Determine Calorie Intake to Lose Weight?

The best answer to the question is that it’s relative! But, if you insist on numbers, it's said that the average requirement for a woman is to consume 1500 calories a day and that for a man, it's 2000 calories a day. But, this is an unsatisfactory answer. This is completely based on the law of averages, and for those on the extremes, this data is irrelevant.

How to Count Calorie Intake to Lose Weight?

The basic principle of losing weight, is to burn more calories than you eat. In other words, it's essential to maintain a calorie deficit between calories consumed and calories burnt. This is similar to spending more than you earn. Now, to know daily calorie intake to loose weight, you must first know the calories in 1 lb of fat. There are approximately 3,500 calories in 1 lb fat. This means you need to burn 3,500 calories of energy to achieve a pound of fat loss. If you wish to lose weight, you must attempt it step-wise.

Step #1
First of all, you need to know how many calories, you must consume to support your body weight. For that, you need to know your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). BMR is defined as the number of calories, the body uses a day in performing basic, life-sustaining functions like keeping the heart beating, breathing, maintaining kidney and liver function, etc. One of the ways of calculating BMR is by the Harris-Benedict formula as given below:

For Men: BMR = 66 + (13.7 x wt in kg) + (5 x ht in cm) - (6.8 x age in years)

For Women: BMR = 65 + (9.6 x wt in kg) + (1.8 x ht in cm) - (4.7 x age in years)

Therefore, the caloric intake to lose weight for men will be calculated differently as compared to the calorie intake to lose weight for women.

Step #2
Next, you need to calculate the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). To calculate TDEE, multiply the BMR by a factor that corresponds to the level of activity you are involved in everyday. The following table gives the multiplication factors corresponding to the level of activity.

Amount of Exercise	Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)
Very less or no exercise at all, mostly desk job	TDEE = 1.2 x BMR
Somewhat active, exercise 1 to 3 times per week	TDEE = 1.375 x BMR
Moderately active, exercise 3 to 5 Times Per Week	TDEE = 1.55 x BMR
Heavy exercise, sports 6 to 7 times per week	TDEE = 1.725 x BMR
Very heavy exercise, physical job, training twice a day	TDEE = 1.9 x BMR

Now, for example if you come in the first category and your BMR is 2,000, then the TDEE for you would be 2,400 calories per day. This means that you burn a total of 2,400 calories in a day of normal routine.

Step #3
Set a target for a small period. The target must be realistic and for a brief period only. Ideally, it should be to lose 1 lbs per week. If you want to know the calorie intake to lose weight fast, set a target of 2 lbs per week. If you choose to shed 1 lb of fat in a week, then you must create a deficit of 3,500 calories per week, or a deficit of 500 calories per day, i.e. if you burn 2,400 calories a day, then you must restrict the calorie intake to not more than 1,900 calories.

Step #4
You can achieve the above deficit, either by reducing the daily intake or by increasing the TDEE, or using a combination of the two may be the best way for you. That is, by marginally dropping food intake and gradually increasing fat burning exercises. Trying to increase the physical activity and maintaining food intake is a highly advisable option, rather than dropping the food intake or choosing starvation. Another option is to consume negative calorie food. The body spends more energy on digestion and the metabolism process of these foods, as compared to the energy generated as a byproduct of the process itself. In other words, it is an endothermic process. 

Whenever we hear of low calorie meals, we tend to think of them as bland and boring food that is may be high on nutrition but is definitely low on taste. But low calorie meals need not be plain and boring. With judicious use of fresh produce, careful planning and a little creativity, you can enjoy low calorie meals that are tasty and nutritious. If you are looking for low calorie meal ideas, then given below are some ideas that you can use for meal planning.

Easy Low Calorie Meal Ideas

To create low calorie meals at home that are nutritious and tasty, choose the freshest produce and the correct cooking methods. Prepare meals with fresh seasonal produce and avoid anything that is ready made and packaged as it contains a high amount of preservatives and sodium that will increase your calorie intake considerably. Cooking methods like grilling, steaming and sautéing are much healthier options than deep frying and broiling. Choose white meat and lean cuts of protein like chicken, turkey and . Introduce whole grains and food rich in fiber and complex carbohydrates in your diet as they are low in calories but which helps to keep you satiated longer. You might like to take a look at the low calorie food list to help you make a healthier choice. Given below are some low calorie meal ideas for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks.

Breakfast
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and in the quest to cut calories, many people skip breakfast. However this leads to a mid morning energy slump and dangerous drop in blood sugar levels. To keep you fit and healthy, here are some low calorie breakfast ideas:

• Muesli with skimmed milk
• Berry and banana smoothie
• Whole wheat muffins
• Spinach and goat cheese frittata
• Pancakes with honey
• Poached egg
• Oatmeal with berries and banana

Lunch
Prepare lunch from home so that you stay away from calorie loaded lunch options. If preparing lunch at home is not an option, then choose restaurants that serve Mediterranean dishes and select dishes that are either grilled or steamed. If you are eating a salad for lunch, then ask for the dressing on the side or choose low calorie dressings like balsamic vinaigrette or honey mustard dressing. Some low calorie meal ideas for lunch are:

• Whole wheat turkey burgers
• Chicken and mushroom soup
• Tomato and pea risotto
• Green salad with flaked tuna and mustard sauce
• Spiced lentil soup with garlic bread
• Fish fillet with wasabi dressing and steamed baby carrots
• Asian Green Bean Salad

Dinner
Dinners should be light and not too carbohydrate rich. Select good protein sources and have plenty of omega 3 rich fish. Light soups made with fresh vegetables without cream, fiber rich foods made with whole grains and flavorful salads topped with nuts are good choices. Some low calorie dinner ideas are:

• Seared salmon with steamed baby spinach and tartare sauce
• Root vegetable and Lentil Casserole
• Vegetable tagine with chickpeas and preserved lemon
• Vegetable Chili
• Steamed Fish with Bok Choy
• Pan fried chicken breast with cranberry sauce
• Chicken Salad with Apples and Raisins

Snacks
Every person needs to have a go between meal or snacks that will curb hunger pangs. But before you reach for a fatty burger or a chicken burrito dripping with cheese, stop to think how much calories they contain. A chicken burrito contains around 790 calories and is not going to do your waistline any good. So here are some better alternatives:

• Tofu kebabs
• Roasted cauliflower florets
• Chickpeas in sea salt and lemon juice
• Roasted Pecans
• Wholewheat crackers with peanut butter
• Carrot and celery sticks with hummus
• Low fat yogurt with berries

To keep these diseases at bay it is important that one learns to follow a healthy diet. To know more about balanced diet menu read further.

Balanced Diet Menu

Are you wondering what is balanced diet? Well it is nothing but a diet that consists of six important nutrients. These nutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and fiber etc. Before you design a good balanced diet menu, knowing the importance of each of the nutrient is essential.

1. Carbohydrates:Carbohydrates are a rich source of energy that helps us remain active and healthy. Bread, rice, potato, cereals, and spaghetti etc. are some of the rich sources of carbohydrates that you must include in your daily diet.
2. Proteins:Proteins promote the growth of the body. They are also essential for repairing the tissues and cells of the body. Poultry foods, milk, sea food, curd, cheese, and nuts etc, are full of proteins. You should include these foods in your daily diet.
3. Fats: Fats are again a good source of energy. They should be consumed in moderate amounts everyday as they contain fat soluble vitamins. Fats are also important to absorb vitamins found in proteins. Oil, butter, cheese, meats, and cream are some of the foods packed with fats.
4. Vitamins: There are different types of vitamins such as, vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin D, vitamin E etc. These vitamins are necessary and are required by different body systems in order to complete various processes in the body. Variety of fruits and vegetables are high on vitamins.
5. Minerals: Some of the important minerasl are iron, calcium, sodium, and iodine etc. They perform some of the essential functions in the body. Fruits and vegetables are high on iron, milk and dairy products are rich in calcium, sodium and iodine is found in salts and some vegetables.
6. Fiber: Fibers are essential for the digestion and make a person full for a longer time. Fruits and vegetables are again rich sources of dietary fiber. You must include raw salads in your daily diet to get some roughage for the intestine.

A healthy balanced diet must have the above nutrients in an adequate amount. If you are keen to know about the number of servings of these foods each day then balanced diet chart can be a useful read for you.

Balanced Diet Plan

A key to well balanced diet is planning. Yes, planning all your meals and snacks in advance can help you stay fit and free of diseases. Given below is an ideal balanced diet plan that everyone should follow.

Breakfast
A bowl of boiled oats with fruits and milk
Or
An egg with a toast and glass of milk
Or
Cereals or cornflakes with fruits and milk

Morning Snacks
A fruit
Or
Handful of peanuts
Or
A celery stick
Or
Flavored or unsweetened curd

Lunch
A vegetable or chicken sandwich with a bowl of rice
Or
Pasta with beans and peas
Or
Noodles and salads
Or
Fish or chicken with bread or rice

Evening Snack
A toast with peanut butter
Or
Low fat cheese cube
Or
Biscuits with a cup of milk, coffee, or tea

Dinner
A bowl of soup with rice or bread
Or
Sprouted bean salad and steamed fish or vegetables along with bread or brown rice

One can customize the above menu as per ones dietary needs and requirements. Balanced diet for women must include more foods high on iron as their requirements for iron are higher due to menstruation. A balanced diet for children should be full of protein and carbohydrate foods as they promote healthy growth of the body. Apart from this, children have a higher metabolism rate and need more energy. A balanced diet for weight loss should be inclusive of all the nutrients but should include less of fatty foods. One can go for low fat and low sugar foods to reduce weight.

This is where things get a little interesting in trying to stay true to your diet, but having fun nonetheless. No one's asking you to sit forlorn at the dinner table eating salad while the rest gorge down on steak and fries. Let's see how you can eat your favorite foods while still going easy on danger food items.

Weekend Diet Tips - How to Control the Urge to Binge

To be able to control yourself whenever you spot a sugar laden food or greasy burger, these weekend diet tips when taken seriously should help you stay on track.

Consciously Warn Yourself
Ask yourself if you want to see any unsightly bulges or take on a bloated look that will immediately make you feel conscious that something is up with your body. The problem with binging over the weekend is that your body retains all that it gets, because it isn't used to the foreign foods entering its system. From healthy portioned meals to big fat ridden ones, the body accepts all that enters. The idea here is to tell yourself that when you stand on that scale next after the weekend, you will be heavier with the stress of having to go back to square 1.

Pre-Planned Food Choices
You need to keep healthy fast food choices in your home that won't let you compromise on your diet routine. Stick to eating small portions and keep healthy eats like turkey, seafood and chicken in your refrigerator so that you are forced to cook meals at home than order for take out. Stock up on lots of fruits, non fat yogurt, dark chocolate and low fat desserts (make sure you check the back of these products since some disguise ingredients with alternatives that don't help with cutting down on calories and unhealthy additives). Eat these whenever you get sweet tooth cravings, but make sure you limit your portions in a single sitting. Space out your meals with two hours at least between each time slot. If you're eating outside with friends or family, order for something that is small portioned, or ask someone to share that one meal with you. Avoid carbs, gluten based eats, and most definitely stay clear from meats that have traces of visible fat. Grilled seafood and rich protein meats are your best friends; if you want to dig into beef or pork, it has got to be lean. Have the fat trimmed off to make the most of the meat only, but discarding what will inevitably travel straight to your hips.

How to Control Salt/Sugar Cravings
I know how a bag of barbecue flavored Doritos or a family pack of Dunkin' Donuts will have you salivating, but hold on now just a minute; why finish it? Why not just take a quarter bowl full of wafers or just eat one donut in a day? Don't allow yourself to let go of everything so easily - remember these things equal calories! Just think of how all that sugar is converting into fat, and how that salt is causing water retention that will leave you bloated. There are more weekends than one that you can get down to eating your favorite foods, just divide it between each weekend to help your body stay maintained.

Drink Lots of Water
Whenever you sit down for a meal, just drink a glass of water and then get down to eating 10 minutes later. This fills up your stomach forcing you to eat lesser than going on an all out gorging session. Even when drinking alcohol, limit yourself to two drinks in a sitting. Cocktails when made outdoors contain a whole lot more calories than if you made it at home. Opt for beer or wine instead which are great for those who want to keep their calorie counts in check.

Don't Allow Friends to Let You Stray
I know what it is like to have people push food or snacks towards me and tell me things like 'It's the weekend, eat!, but you still have to hold on to the reins firmly and not give in to temptation. Eat a little of this and that but don't over do it. Cut down on something else instead like drinking one less of another round of alcohol or eating a light dinner or lunch when the main course rolls in. Striking a balance is key here when it comes to juggling between meals.

Easy Chocolate and Peanut Butter No Bake Cookies Recipe

Chocolate and peanut butter - does one need to say any more? These two are the universal feel good ingredients that can bring a smile to even the Grinch's lips! If your suspicion is gaining an upper hand and is making you wonder what the catch is (I know, I know, you must be wondering if the baking part is done away with, there must be some hitch attached to the ingredients!), let me tell you that one look at the no bake cookies ingredients will make all your doubts disappear with a loud SWOOSH! Hence, stop judging, send your suspicions on a vacation and just bite into the following recipe!

Ingredients

• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder - 8 tablespoonfuls
• Sugar - 4 cups
• Dairy Butter (regular butter) - 2 sticks
• Peanut Butter - 2 cups
• Oatmeal - 6 cups
• Vanilla Essence - 2 tablespoonfuls

Method of Preparation

• Add the sugar, butter and cocoa powder in a thick bottomed saucepan and bring the mixture to boil on a medium flame.
• As the sugar and butter start melting, stir with a flat spatula to mix these together so that a smooth texture is achieved.
• Boil for about a minute and then add the peanut butter, oatmeal and vanilla essence to the mixture. Stir with the spatula to mix everything evenly.
• Remove the sauce pan from flame.
• Lay out a sheet of waxed paper on a cookie tray or a large, flat plate.
• Drop teaspoonfuls of the hot mixture on the waxed paper, taking care not to drop them too close to each other.
• Keep the tray with the cookie mixture drops in a cool, dry and dark place to allow them to harden. Do not refrigerate though.

If you wish, you can drop cherry, almond and/or walnut bits or raisins on the surface of these drops before they get hardened. This way, you can turn your plain chocco peanut butter cookies into fruits-and-nuts cookies in a jiffy!

Although most of the baby foods available is fortified with iron, the quantity of iron in these foods is not sufficient for the kids. If you notice that the kid is irritated all the time or is lethargic, then may be he is suffering from anemia. Not only should the meals be rich in iron, but the snacks that the kids eat should also be rich in iron. This brings us to which are the iron rich snacks for kids. Let's find out.

Iron Rich Foods List for Kids

Before we turn to see some iron rich recipes, we will see, which are the iron rich foods. Some of these foods can be given to the kids as they are, while some others will have to be combined with other foods.

Apricots: This is my own favorite iron rich food. It is not only rich in iron, but is also a great source of vitamin A and vitamin C. Either let the kids have the crunchy snack as they are or combine it with milk or yogurt to make milkshake or smoothie respectively. They can also be added to their breakfast cereals. They can also be added to salads to increase the nutritive value of the salad.

Raisins: Raisins are not only rich in iron, but they are also a good source of antioxidants and fiber. They are also rich in complex carbohydrates, which is a good source of energy. They can be given to kids in the small single serving boxes. Combining peanuts with raisins is also a great idea for an iron rich snack.

Figs: Like raisins, figs are also a rich source of energy. They can be given to kids as they are or they can also be combined with different fruits. Making fig milk shake or smoothie is also a good idea for iron rich snacks for kids.

Jaggery: As a kid I loved snacking on jaggery snack. My mother always gave me a pocketful of jaggery and peanuts. The crunchy peanuts with the sweetness of jaggery makes for a wonderful snack. Alternately, it is a healthy option as a dessert as well.

Roast Pumpkin and Squash Seeds: If your kids like crunchy snacks, then this is a great iron rich snack option. They can also be given to kids, when they are going to school or also when they are going for a overnight camp.

Carrots: It is not new knowledge that carrots are one of the best finger foods. Cutting the carrots in various attractive shape will help in drawing attention of the kids to the iron rich food. Alternately, you can choose to make carrot juice or carrot salad as well.

Beetroot: Like carrots, beetroot can also be used as finger food not only for kids, but also for adults. Either make a salad using carrots or make a juice with it. Alternately, beetroot can also be used in sandwiches, where the beetroot will get camouflaged, yet makes its way into the young tummies.

Soybeans: From ¾ cup of soybeans, you can derive about 6.5 mg of iron. The beans can either be had boiled or roasted or sprouted. They can also be added to the salad to add variety to the salad.

Sesame Seeds: Although one can have sesame seeds, as they are, most kids will not appreciate the aftertaste, hence it is best to combine the seeds with other seeds. Making a mixture of a number of seeds together will give the kids the required nutrition.

Spinach: All of us are aware that spinach is rich source of iron. It can be consumed in a number of ways. Soups, salads, sandwiches, puffs, etc., can be made using spinach.

Speaking of the most latter option, the idea blends well with the whole tea-time snack! So let's pick out some healthy ingredients like oatmeal and decently prepare an oatmeal muffins recipe for all those gabby friends of yours!

Apple Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
Since this recipe is using apples as main ingredients, they happen to be rich in fiber. And we all know that fiber is an important component for our heart and for a healthy diet.

Ingredients

• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup oatmeal (quick or old-fashioned oatmeal)
• ½ cup of cooking oil
• ½ cup of brown sugar
• 2 cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 apple chopped
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• ½ cup raisins

Preparation

For preparing this recipe, you need to preheat the oven at a temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Next chop the apple and place it in a large mixing bowl. Add some raisins to it and also add all the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl. The ingredients would be dry in nature, so make sure you stir them until they are moistened completely. Now get hold of the muffin cups and grease them well. Fill them with this freshly prepared mixture to about 2/3 full. Place them in the oven for a bake and bake them for a good 20 to 25 minutes or rather until golden brown in color. Once you see the muffins turning to this color remove them out of the oven and let them cool for a 5 to 10 minutes. Remove the muffins from the tins and serve them in a dry plate.

This particular oatmeal muffins recipe makes about 2 dozens of muffins in one mix.

Banana Oatmeal Muffins Recipe
The first thought that comes to our mind when we speak about bananas is the fat content it has but still how delectable it tastes. Especially, with a gush of jam and butter in this delicious recipe here, let's learn how to make a banana oatmeal muffins recipe that would serve as a sweet dish on any occasion.

Ingredients

• 1 cup oatmeal (quick-cooking)
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg (well-beaten)
• 1 ½ cups flour (all-purpose flour)
• ½ cup milk (if using honey)
• 2/3 cup bananas (mashed)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup oil
• ½ cup sugar or honey

Preparation

For this oatmeal muffins recipe, you need to preheat the oven to a temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now in a large bowl mix in all the ingredients, i.e, oatmeal, baking powder, baking soda, flour and salt.

Next in another container add egg, oil, honey, milk and mashed bananas and mix them together. Once this mixture is prepared well, add it to the dry ingredients mixture above. Keep stirring it gently until it's moistened completely. After all this is over, you can now grease the muffin pans and pour in the above mixture to a 2/3 level in the pans. Place them in the oven for baking and bake them for about 20 minutes. Check the muffins until they are golden brown in color, remove them and serve hot!

This particular easy banana muffins here bakes about 12 large banana oatmeal muffins and if you are quite addictive to having dishes with a lot of sweetness or in case chocolate chips, what you can do is just before baking, sprinkle a bit of these ingredients atop of the muffins and enjoy the flavor after the bake.

Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
Well, what can I say, this oatmeal blueberry muffin recipes happens to be a low-fat but a simply awesome one!! You might just deem on the thought as to why is it called a low fat recipe? That's 'coz it contains applesauce and wheat flour, all these ingredients are known to be low in fat content but moderate in nutrition and sweetness.

Ingredients

• 1 ¼ cup of oats (quick-cooking)
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons wheat gluten
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ¼ cup applesauce (vegetable oil)
• 1 egg (well-beaten)
• 1 cup fresh blueberries (rinsed and drained)

Preparation

Preheat the oven at a temperature of about 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now in a large bowl, add wheat gluten, salt and some oats and mix them gently. Well, just a short mix and instantly add sugar, baking powder and some flour to the existing mixture and beat everything thoroughly.

On the other hand, in a small bowl, add the beaten egg, applesauce and some milk and whisk all of them together. Once the ingredients are mixed well add this wet mixture to the above dry mixture and make sure no lumps are formed in the process. Lastly, add some blueberries to the entire mix and begin to grease your muffin cups gently. Fill the cups to a 2/3 level and place it for baking in the oven. Bake it for 20 to 25 minutes or until it turns a bit spongy and brownish in appearance. Serve hot!

Although cow's milk is generally used for making yogurt, more exotic varieties of yogurt are made with sheep's milk, goat's milk and even camel and yak's milk. When different varieties of milk are used for making yogurt, the texture and the flavor of the yogurt also varies. There are different types of yogurt available and the flavor and consistency of yogurt differs according to the fermentation technique used. Here we are going to discuss about the different types of yogurt that you can choose from.

Different Types of Yogurt

Plain Yogurt
Plain yogurt is regular yogurt that is made by fermenting pasteurized milk. It does not contain added sugar or flavoring to enhance its flavors. It has a silky and smooth consistency, and is not too thick or custard like. It has a natural tart flavor and it is used in the preparation of many dishes.

Fruit Yogurt
Fruit yogurt is simply plain yogurt in which one or many types of fruit have been incorporated. Generally fresh and pureed fruits are added to make such yogurt and it is one of the most popular types of yogurt among consumers. But the downside of such fruit flavored yogurt is that it contains high amounts of sugar and calories as compared to regular yogurt, and as such is not an ideal choice of yogurt for people who are watching their weight.

Swiss Style or Custard Yogurt
This type of yogurt has a custard like almost puddingy consistency. It is available in both plain and flavored form. To stabilize the consistency of Swiss style yogurt, a stabilizer like gelatin, pectin or agar is used in it. It is also more creamy than regular yogurt.

Frozen Yogurt
Frozen yogurt is a kind of soft ice cream that is consumed as a alternative to regular ice cream. Because of the freezing process, most of the live and beneficial bacteria in the yogurt is destroyed. Most manufacturers who make frozen yogurt, market it as low fat and low sugar. But you need to check the labels before you buy frozen yogurt as an alternative to ice cream. In most cases, frozen yogurt contains as much sugar and milk fat as regular ice cream.

European Style Yogurt
European style yogurt is characterized by its smooth and creamy texture. This type of yogurt is made by pouring warm cultured milk in a big vat which is then stirred periodically with a long ladle. This mixture is then poured into cups and consumed. Sometimes fruits and other flavorings are added into the vat of cultured milk to make flavored European style yogurt.

Greek Yogurt
Greek yogurt is a very thick yogurt that is made by removing the whey from the yogurt by a straining process. It is a very smooth yogurt that has a thicker consistency than plain yogurt and is used in cooking many Mediterranean dishes. Because excess water or moisture is strained from this type of yogurt, Greek yogurt has higher amount of butterfat than plain yogurt. You might like to know about Greek yougurt vs regular yogurt.

Low-fat Yogurt
Low-fat yogurt, which is a favorite among the calorie and health conscious people, is made from skimmed milk or reduced fat milk. Low fat yogurt can be both plain or flavored. It contains around 0.5-2% milk fat compared to 3-5% milk fat contained in regular yogurt.

Soy Yogurt
Soy yogurt is a non-dairy yogurt that is made by fermenting soy milk which is obtained from soy beans. For vegans who do not have any dairy products, soy yogurt is an excellent alternative. Although soy milk does not contain lactose sugar, it contains other sugars such as stachyose and raffinose which breaks down during the fermentation process, producing yogurt.

Benefits of High Carbohydrate Foods

High carbohydrate foods are known to offer a number of health benefits. The resistant starches that are naturally found in foods such as green bananas, navy beans and whole-grain bread are beneficial for colon health. They also contribute in lowering the blood cholesterol levels and excess body weight. High carbohydrate foods act as body’s fuel and improve muscle contractions and several physiological functions. They make you to feel energetic, enthusiastic and full of vigor. An inadequate carbohydrate intake can give rise to impaired central nervous system function. The complex carbohydrates are high-fiber foods, which help improve digestion, stabilize blood sugar and maintain the energy levels.

List of High Carbohydrate Foods

• A list of high carbohydrate foods includes mainly cereals, grains and bread such as bagel, white bread, whole wheat bread, white, rice, barley, oatmeal, spaghetti, pasta, muffins, etc. Some of the fruits such as apricot, dates, blueberry, banana, fig, grapes, apple, orange, pear, pineapple, strawberry, watermelon and raisins also contain the high amounts of carbohydrates.
• A list of high carbohydrate foods includes some beans, which contain a higher percentage of complex carbohydrates and more nutrients. The beans such as chickpeas, white beans, black eye peas, refried beans, garbanzo beans and navy beans are rich in complex carbohydrates. Some of the root vegetables such as potato, sweet potato, carrot and corn contain a high quantity of carbohydrates.
• Dairy products are known for rich fat and protein contents. However, some of the dairy products such as nonfat milk, low fat, plain yogurt, chocolate milk and skimmed milk are included in the list of high carbohydrate foods. All types of chocolates, candies, cookies, pastries also contain high amounts of carbohydrates.
• Foods containing simple carbohydrates include table sugar, candy, cake, corn syrup, fruit juice, bread and pasta made from white flour and most packaged cereals.
• Foods containing the high amounts of complex carbohydrates are bran, oatmeal, maize, barley, buckwheat, cornmeal, pasta, macaroni, spaghetti, potato, brown rice, shredded wheat, bagel, wholegrain cereals, corn, peas, muesli, yam, beans and lentils.