Foods That Have More Carbs Than You Realized

When it comes to losing weight, the spotlight has been firmly fixed on avoiding carbs for some time. With the boom of low-carb diets, like the keto diet, it feels as though everyone's keeping an eye on how many carbs they eat. It's important to remember, though, that eating carbs is not necessarily synonymous with eating unhealthily, although many people seem to think so. "I always find it interesting and funny when someone wants to cut out carbs but wants to eat healthfully," registered dietitian Lainey Younkin, owner of Lainey Younkin Nutrition in Boston, told Today's Dietitian. "I'm like, 'Do you know that fruits and vegetables are carbs?' When they think carbs, they're thinking about bread, pasta, and rice."

Do you know what other foods contain carbs? Although many experts do not recommend cutting out carbs altogether, you may want to try healthier carbs over refined carbs, or not eat quite so many. Let's take a look at some of the most subtle heavyhitters.

Milk, particularly the full-fat cow's kind, maybe isn't the first thing you think of when it comes to carbs. But it turns out, milk has a surprisingly high amount of carbohydrates. Regular cow's milk has around 12 grams of carbs per cup, according to Medical News Today. And the amounts are similar even if you're opting for 2%, 1%, or skim milk: in fact, 1% and skim milk contain slightly higher levels of carbs, at 13g per cup.

So, what about non-dairy milk alternatives like almond or oat milk? Unfortunately, on the carb front, they're not much better. With oat milk in particular, "it is definitely higher in carbs compared to cow's milk or other nut milks," said Vandana Sheth, a spokesperson for the Academy Of Nutrition and Dietetics, to Buzzfeed. A cup of Oatly's Original oat milk contains around 16 grams of carbs per cup, with 7 grams of sugar, while Blue Diamond's Original Almond Milk fares slightly better, with 8 grams of carbs per cup (via Today).

We generally don't think about the nutrition of our condiments as much as we maybe should. But add-ons to our meals, like ketchup, can have a subtle but very real effect on our diets. Ketchup, for example, is particularly high in carbs. "It's deceiving because [ketchup] has no fat, so people think they can enjoy freely," Monica Auslander, a registered dietitian and founder of Essence Nutrition, told The Healthy. "Unfortunately, we now know that sugar is far more insidious than fat."

The carb load in question is 4 grams per tablespoon, according to Carb Manager. And a typical serving is 2 tablespoons. This may not seem like a lot, but when you consider that it's basically pure sugar (and is, as Auslander revealed, roughly equivalent to eating a few packs of the sugar that you pour into your coffee), it looks a little less rosy. On top of that, how many of us really regulate our ketchup portioning, as opposed to just pouring it on top of our fries with liberal abandon? Next time you do, remember that it all adds up.

It's all too easy to throw back handfuls of raisins as a seemingly healthy snack alternative to chocolate or candy. However, as dried fruit, you're getting a lot of concentrated sugar in one bite. In fact, raisins deliver a pretty whopping 22 grams of carbohydrates per 1-ounce serving, 18.2 grams of sugar, as well as just over 1 gram of fiber according to Verywell Fit. Because of this, raisins have slowly but steadily gained a reputation as a no-go for carb-watchers, contributed to by their rather high place on the Glycemic Index (GI). This system helps determine how much of an impact a food will have on your blood sugar; foods with higher numbers cause a larger blood sugar spike (per Healthline).

A food's place on the GI, however, doesn't necessarily take their nutrition into account. "A soda has a Glycemic Index of 63, while raisins have a Glycemic Index of 64, however that does not mean raisins and soda have the same nutritional value," registered dietitian nutritionist Amanda Markie, an outpatient dietitian at UM Baltimore Washington Medical Center, told NBC News. 

Beloved by fitness fanatics worldwide, protein powder is an easy and efficient way to get a large amount of protein in one go. However, a lot of protein powders out there aren't just pure protein, which can lead to issues for those on certain diets. "Keto diet followers are often surprised to learn that many protein powders also contain carbohydrates," registered dietitian nutritionist Tammy Lakatos Shames told Women's Health.

Some protein powders can contain 3 to 4 carbs per scoop, possibly more depending on the flavorings added, says Healthline. This may not seem like a lot, but when you consider the fact that keto dieters try to consume no more than 50 grams of carbs a day to stay in ketosis, there's a slim margin for error.

That said, there are protein powders with fewer carbs. Vega Sport Premium Protein and Ketologie Collagen Keto Shake are just two brands that Women's Health suggests.

When you're making a salad, the last thing you want is to negate all its nutritional goodness with a dressing. Of course, the flip side is that without dressing, a salad can be pretty boring. "I have some clients who say they'll only eat salad if they can use dressing. That can add a lot of calories, sodium, sugar, and saturated fat," registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Brigham and Women's Hospital, explained to Harvard Health.

Seems like a catch-22, right? Well, the good news is you can optimize your salad dressing choice. And you probably should, as certain salad dressings, particularly fat-free or low-fat kinds, can typically be higher in sugar to pack in the flavor, says Verywell Fit. In fact, just 2 tablespoons of Kraft Fat-Free French-Style dressing contains 9 carbs, according to Fat Secret.

To keep your salad healthy, opt for salad dressing with a heart-healthy oil like olive or canola oil (per Verywell Fit). And, ideally, avoid shop-bought and make your own, so you can keep an eye on its carb levels.

If you're like us, it's hard to keep away from the cranberry sauce around the holidays. Be careful with your serving size, though. Despite it having a base of healthy cranberries, its sugar content can be massive. "Because cranberries are naturally tart, many packaged cranberry sauces and cranberry recipes are loaded with added sugar," Jenn LaVardera, registered dietitian and nutrition expert with produce company Naturipe Farms, confirmed to Popsugar. How much sugar? Well, a single cup of cranberry sauce can contain an astonishing 107.8 grams of carbs, 105 grams of which is pure sugar, says Eat This Much. We know, we know — we were surprised too.

Although cranberry sauce is generally the kind of thing you eat on a special occasion, there are still some things you can do to reduce the carb impact. "Your best bet is to prepare your own cranberry sauce using fresh or frozen cranberries and a touch of added sugar that will tame the cranberries' tartness but not overpower the natural flavor," said LaVardera.

There was a time when half a grapefruit for breakfast was considered the height of health. However, nutritionists have, for a long time now, been pretty skeptical. "The myth of grapefruit and weight loss has been around for years," Molly Kimball, New Orleans-based registered dietitian at Ochsner Fitness Center, told My Fitness Pal.

In fact, if you're looking to avoid carbs, they might be your diet's demise. A serving of grapefruit contains around 13 grams of carbs, with 8.5 grams of these from sugar, according to Verywell Fit. That may not sound like a huge amount, but more than you might expect from the bitter fruit. And beware of grapefruit juice, too. "You might as well be drinking sugary lemonade or sweet tea. When you're drinking this, know that you're not burning fat but helping your body store more fat with the excess sugar you're adding," Kimball explained. Grapefruit juice can contain 16.3 grams of sugar per 100 milliliters, according to Coach. If you're trying to keep your carbs down, it's better to eat it whole.