Top 10 Carb and Protein Foods to Choose

One caution: the Canadian media has recently brought to our attention that 'whole wheat' means something different in Canada. If I understood the report correctly, in the USA, 'whole wheat' means "whole grain".

In Canada, only some of the bran is kept in the product, making whole wheat hardly different from enriched white.

Canadians are cautioned to buy products that specifically list "whole grain", of which there are plenty.

where does quinoa fit in? it should be top 10 of one of those lists?

1. Wheat bread
2. Wheat pasta
3. Peanut butter
4. Apples
5. Carrots
6. Kiwis
7. Lean chicken
8. Lean beef
9. Green/Red peppers
10. Kashi cereal

This was an interesting exercise! I didn't realize that my carb list had become so short and my protein list had such a large fat component. And, it was hard to come up with the top ten vegetables and fruits, since I eat so much of them.

My carbs have shrunk to five.
- Oatmeal
- Bread (prefer whole wheat, often multigrain)
- Sweet potatoes
- Beans
- Pasta (usu. DiCecco whole wheat)

Vegetables:
- Tomatoes
- Broccoli
- Peppers
- Onions
- Spinach
- Asparagus
- Basil
- Artichokes
- Cucumbers
- Summer squash
- Winter squash

Protein - this has gotten narrow too, as well as heavy towards high fat proteins:
- Eggs
- Tofu
- Beans
- Cheese
- Nuts and nut butters
- Milk
- Shrimp
- Salmon

Fruit:
- Mango
- Apples
- Bananas
- Oranges
- Grapes
- Blueberries
- Strawberries
- Peaches
- Cherries
- Nectarines

Ok, dumb question here...is basmati rice considered brown rice? If so, that is awesome. I love it--it has such a great flavor.

Lynette - basmati rice is white rice, but it has a low GI, so it's considered diet-friendly.

You can buy a brown variety, but I've never seen it here in Australia.

Lynette: No, it is white rice.

Here's my list:

Protein: protein shakes, chicken breast, kefir

Fruits - haven't met a fruit I didn't like ... strawberries, mangoes, kiwi, apple, grape

Veggies: lettuce, cucumber, sweet peppers ... I don't like veggies that have to be cooked like asparagus, broccoli ... yes I'm a bit odd like that.

Carbs: rice - any kind

Fat: pistachio nuts (sp?), pear (you guys call it avocado), coconut (although coconut water has hardly any fat and lots of minerals).

I avoid carbs, and really advise against refined/starchy carbs, but then that's me. When I was a triathlete I certainly quaffed the carbs, but for general, optimal human health, I really think we'd all be better off if we relied on vegetables and fruits for our fiber instead of bread and cereals - whole, fresh vs. processed, refined. You get more antioxidants and vitamins that way, as well. I even wrote about this at length today :)

Someone listed carrots. there is too much sugar in them and they should be avoided.

My favourite things to eat:
-Tuna
-Turkey breast (the thin sliced kind; the thick kind grosses me out)
-Chicken
-Boca burgers/mushroom burgers/Quorn and similar things
-Any kind of seafood that is not swimming in butter (not so much for weight reasons but because I have icky reactions to high-fat foods). I love shrimp, lobster, and mostly any kind of fish. I don't eat red meat except for the very occasional burger (I mean very occasional; I think it's been 4 years since I had a burger.)
-Soup, especially minestrone, chicken noodle, and vegetable
-Beans
-Oatmeal and cereals like cheerios
-Berries of all kinds, especially blueberries!
-South Beach refrigerated wrap sandwiches (these are great for me to take to work since I don't get a lunch break and I can eat them at my desk with little mess even though I am a spaz)
-Baked potato chips for a snack
-Oranges, apples, bananas
-Mushrooms, lettuce, corn, peas, squash, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots
-Salads in general (I like croutons but not dressing. It just tastes bad to me.)
-Water,Sugar Free Red Bull (or similar low-cal energy drink), skim milk, coffee, Diet Coke or Diet Mt. Dew once in a while, and sometimes wine or a glass of beer.
-Mustard, ketchup, salsa
-Pickles!
-Oh, and I love french fries but for budget reasons I do not eat out that much so I get them maybe once a week or once each two weeks and eat about half the portion. (They give you a LOT of fries sometimes!)
-I also like to take a piece of this crispbread stuff I have and put some jelly and fat-free cheese on it and munch on that. I know it is weird but I love it!

After being anorexic and bulimic for about 8 years, I am slowly rebuilding healthy eating habits, including allowing myself to eat things that I never would have let myself eat before...I'm actually quite proud that I can eat some french fries with my sandwich and not freak out! [Toots own horn]

Sophie said:
Someone listed carrots. there is too much sugar in them and they should be avoided. [...]

Please consider this: A more helpful gauge is a value like the glycemic load, which refers to the blood glucose effect of a standard serving of a food rather than a fixed amount of carbohydrate. The glycemic load value for carrots puts them in a far more favorable light, on a par with milk and well below spaghetti, apples and even lentils.

I like this list. However, for us vegeterians, most of the protein sources listed here are not possible. I usually get my protein from sources like eggs, beans, legumes and vegetables. Plus I supplement with whey protein if I feel like I'm not getting enough.

Gal

Nice. There's my shopping list all ready to go.

For vegetables and fruit, I don't have a top 10, as for half the year we belong to a CSA and shop at a farmer's market and get whatever vegetables and fruit are available in season. This week, from the CSA, we have three kinds of lettuce (romaine, red, and mesclun), spinach, chard, bok choy, turnips with their greens, kohlrabi, and scallions. Strawberries just came into season here, so we'll be eating a lot of those for the next week or so.

During the non-growing season we get whatever looks freshest and is reasonably priced in the produce department, and this usually has something to do with the seasons as well.

Protein:
poultry
fish (mostly salmon and tilapia)
eggs
chickpeas
black beans
kidney beans
nuts and seeds
milk
yogurt
small amounts of excellent cheese

Grains:
brown rice
oatmeal
whole grain breakfast cereals
whole grain pasta
whole grain tortillas
polenta/corn meal