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Carbohydrates: A Rainbow of Foods

Colorful fruits and vegetables are the foundation of your daily menus. Full of vitamins and minerals, they help maintain your organs and immune system, keeping your body strong as the weight comes off.

ShapeWorks™ makes it easy to choose the right fruits and vegetables for your meal plan by organizing them into seven unique color groups. Both men and women should include at least one serving from each group every day.

Simply eating more fruits and vegetables is not the answer– they must be the right fruits and vegetables. Starchy vegetables such as peas or lentils (200 to 250 calories per cup) are healthy, but they contain more calories than you may want. If you need to eat more to satisfy your hunger, add lowglycemic- load vegetables. For example, spinach and asparagus are better choices than higher-calorie corn and peas. A cup of spinach topped with 1⁄2 cup of tomato sauce has only about 90 calories, but it gives you nutrients from two color groups.

Why Not Brown and Beige?

When considering which foods to enjoy sparingly, also use color as a guideline. Many brown and beige carbohydrates, like pasta, beans and potatoes, while healthy, also tend to be high in calories.

Color Counts:
2 cups of spinach = 80 calories
2 cups of rice or potatoes = 500 calories

Making Sense of Carbohydrates

Your body converts carbohydrates into sugar, which gives you energy. That’s the good news. The bad news is that some carbohydrate foods turn into too much sugar too fast, with too many calories. You can identify which carbohydrates are good for you and which to avoid by checking their glycemic index and glycemic load.

Glycemic Index measures how fast the carbohydrates in a food turn into sugar in the body. Foods with a high glycemic index convert into sugar very quickly, with negative physical effects. Foods with a low-glycemic index turn into sugar gradually, helping maintain your body’s chemical balance. In general, foods with a low index are preferable.

Glycemic Load measures the amount of sugar a food actually releases in the body. Foods with a low glycemic load usually have a lowglycemic index. They are good choices for your meal plan. Foods can have a high-glycemic index, yet still have a low-glycemic load. Other foods have both a high index and a high load. You should avoid high-load foods as a regular part of your meal plan.

When you choose carbohydrate foods, always check both their glycemic index and glycemic load. Detailed tables with this information are widely available. Use the chart below to get started.

High-Glycemic Index

Medium-Glycemic Index

Low-Glycemic Index

Fruits and Vegetables

Starches

Fruits and Vegetables

Starches

Fruits and Vegetables

Starches

Corn

Bagel

Apricot*

French Fries

Apple*

Barley*

Cranberry Juice

Bread (white)

Grape*

Oatmeal

Asparagus*

Black Bean*

Orange Juice*

Refined Cereal

Pineapple*

Pita Bread

Broccoli*

Kidney Bean*

Raisin

Granola

Watermelon

Waffle

Brussels Sprout*

Lentil*

Muffin

Cauliflower*

Pea*

Pasta

Celery*

Potato

Cucumber*

Pretzel

Grapefruit*

Rice

Green Bean*

Tortilla (flour)

Green Pepper*

Kiwi*

Lettuce*

Mushroom*

Onion*

Orange*

Peach*

Plum*

Spinach*

Strawberry*

Tomato*

Zucchini*

* Low glycemic load