Foods that contain carbohydrates

The main food groups that provide carbohydrates (carbohydrates) are:

• cereals and cereal products — bread, pasta, rice, cornmeal, breakfast cereals, pastries;
• potatoes and the other starchy vegetables — sweetcorn, peas, parsnips, pumpkin, beetroot;
• fruit, fresh, dried or as juice;
• milk and yogurt;
• pulses — beans, lentils, chickpeas;
• the obviously sweet things — sugar, sweets and sweetened drinks [1].

The rest of the meal generally provides very few carbohydrates. Examples of foods with very few carbohydrates, or none at all, are meat, fish, eggs, matured cheeses, oils and fats [2]. Non-starchy vegetables contain small amounts of carbohydrates, which usually do not significantly change the insulin dose. A simple rule that helps you at the start is to count anything that started out as a cereal, a tuber or a fruit, plus anything sweet [3].

No, even though they belong to roughly the same family. Per 100 g of ready-to-eat food, bread contains around 50 g of carbohydrate. Well-cooked pasta and rice contain around 25 g, and boiled potatoes around 20 g. Put another way, 100 g of bread is about the same as 200 g of well-cooked pasta or 250 g of boiled potatoes.

The explanation is water, not "how starchy" the food is. Pasta and rice absorb water as they cook and roughly triple their weight, whereas bread is relatively dry. Raw, pasta and rice contain around 75 g per 100 g. That is why you always need to know whether you weighed the food raw or cooked [4] [5]. Frying concentrates the carbohydrates even further: fried potatoes reach 40 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of product.

Yes, all fruits do. The sugar in fruit is natural, but it is still carbohydrate and it raises blood glucose, so it is counted just like the sugar in other foods [6]. Most fruits contain 10-15 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of the edible part. Berries contain fewer carbohydrates, while grapes and bananas contain more. A small piece of fruit, of about 100-120 g, works out at roughly 15 g of carbohydrates, and a medium one at 20-25 g.

Whole fruit contains dietary fiber and raises blood glucose more slowly, whereas juice, smoothies and compote behave like sugary drinks [7] [8]. Drying removes the water and concentrates the sugar about fourfold. A small handful of raisins can be the equivalent of a whole banana. Weigh the part you actually eat, without the peel and without the stones.

It depends on the vegetable. The non-starchy ones (lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, peppers, cabbage, broccoli, courgette, aubergine, mushrooms, green beans) contain only 3-5 g of carbohydrates per 100 g. A typical portion provides around 5 g, and three portions are roughly the equivalent of a thin slice of bread. Many patients do not count them in the small amounts found in salads, but they do count them in larger quantities, as in cooked dishes or soups.

Starchy vegetables are always counted: potatoes, sweetcorn, peas, parsnips, pumpkin, beetroot, as well as pulses [9] [10]. Also watch out for the way they are prepared, which can add carbohydrates where you do not expect them: breaded vegetables, sauces thickened with flour, sweet dressings, croutons or sweetcorn in a salad [3].

Yes, in the form of lactose, the natural sugar in milk. Milk contains about 5 g of carbohydrates per 100 ml, so a 250 ml glass works out at around 12 g of carbohydrates [11]. Skimmed and whole milk have practically the same lactose concentration. The amount of fat differs, but it does not change the amount of carbohydrates. It does change the way blood glucose rises: more slowly in the first few hours and more later on [12].

Plain yogurt also contains about 5 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, and Greek yogurt slightly less, because the whey has been strained off [13] [14]. Kefir and other cultured milk drinks are similar to milk too. Fruit and flavored yogurts often reach 11-12 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, and some go beyond 18 g, because of the added sugar [13]. Plant-based drinks vary from almost zero in unsweetened soya drinks to 10 g of carbohydrates per 100 ml in the rice-based ones.

Practically none at all, and the reason lies in the way it is made. Most of the lactose is removed with the whey, and bacteria consume what is left during ripening [15] [16]. Matured and hard cheeses contain under 1 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, an amount that is not counted [15] [17].

The exceptions are fresh cheeses, such as cottage cheese, ricotta or feta, with up to about 4 g of carbohydrates per 100 g, which matter only with large portions [15]. Processed cheese and cheese spreads may contain starch and added sugar, so you are better off counting them as 5 g of carbohydrates per 100 g. With pizza or breaded cheese, the carbohydrates come from the dough and the breadcrumbs, not from the cheese.

In their natural form, no. Meat and fish are protein and fat, and the glycogen stored in muscle has practically gone by the time the meat reaches the plate [2] [18]. An egg contains around half a gram of carbohydrates, so nothing to count. The only notable exception is liver, with about 5 g of carbohydrates per 100 g.

The way food is prepared can, however, add appreciable amounts of carbohydrates. That is what happens with breaded schnitzel and breaded fish, or with meatballs made with bread or semolina. Cold meats containing starch and sugar, foods marinated in sweet sauces and stews thickened with flour also add carbohydrates [3].

Quite apart from counting carbohydrates, a large portion of protein can raise blood glucose later on, two to five hours after the meal [19] [20]. This can be taken into account when changing the timing of the insulin dose and the way it is spread out over time [21].

They do, but fewer than you would expect, because a good part of them is in fact fiber, which cannot later be turned into glucose [22]. A handful of walnuts, almonds or hazelnuts, about 30 g, can provide 3 g of carbohydrates. These do count, but they rarely add up to enough to warrant a dose of insulin [23]. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds are similar, while flaxseed and chia are almost entirely fiber.

There are also a few exceptions worth knowing: cashews contain more, about 7 g of carbohydrates per handful, and pistachios somewhat less than that. Glazed, honey-roasted and chocolate-coated nuts fall into an entirely different category, and so do sweet hazelnut spreads. Be careful, because nuts are eaten by the handful and it is easy to go beyond the amount you originally had in mind. The fat in nuts slightly delays the rise in blood glucose from the carbohydrates in the rest of the meal [12] [23].

Yes, and sugary drinks are the fastest source of these carbohydrates. Fruit juices and sweetened drinks contain around 10 g of carbohydrates per 100 ml, so a 500 ml bottle works out at roughly 50 g of carbohydrates. Sugary drinks contain no fiber and so leave the stomach very quickly. For this reason they can be used to treat hypoglycemia, although pure glucose remains the first choice, and fruit juice requires roughly twice the amount for the same effect [24].

They are not indicated in any other situation, however, because they can cause hyperglycemia [1]. The carbohydrates in coffee with milk, hot chocolate or a smoothie are counted too. You do not count the carbohydrates in drinks such as water, unsweetened coffee and tea, or drinks with sweeteners, such as the zero and light versions [25]. Alcoholic drinks are a special case. Spirits contain no carbohydrates, dry wine very few, but beer provides about 15 g per 500 ml. Do bear in mind that alcohol can increase the risk of hypoglycemia a few hours later [1] [26].

The following contain practically zero carbohydrate:

• unsweetened drinks — water, coffee and tea;
• fats — oils, butter and lard (best avoided);
• meat, fish and seafood;
• eggs and matured cheeses;
• vinegar, salt, herbs and spices, in the usual amounts [2].

For these you have no carbohydrates to work out and, as a result, they do not change the insulin dose. Zero carbohydrate does not mean zero effect, however. In a rich meal, fat and protein slow the rise in blood glucose and can push it back by a few hours [12]. This can change the timing of the dose, especially if you use an insulin pump [21].

And "zero" refers to the plain food, not to the prepared version. Breadcrumbs, sauces and glazes used in preparation add carbohydrates that you have to take into account [3].