Carbs are confusing

If you are like me you are probably unsure what to do about carbs in your diet. Some say all carbs are bad while others say eat good carbs....What the heck is a good carb?

Lucky for you I did some homework and here is what I found out. There is a magical thing called the Glycemic Index. Basically it measures how high your blood glucose levels rise the first hour after the food is consumed. From what I understand these glucose spikes are bad for weight loss because they don't provide sustained energy, cause crashes, and create cravings. The idea is to have a steady blood glucose level though out the day.

In case your a picture person:

So what is good and what is bad? Most article say that a food with a GI under 55 is good, 55-70 is moderate, and above 70 is no bueno. Below I listed some of the common foods I eat as well as some outliers I found.

Low GI: Fruits, Vegetables, Nuts, Sweet Potatoes 

• All Bran 43
• Apple 37 
• Baked beans 46
• Carrots 51
• Cashews 22
• Cherries 22
• Chickpeas 33
• Chocolate 49
• Sourdough bread 57- I know this is above 55 but I put it on this list because it is so delicious and so close I plan on eating it :)
• Soy beans 20
• Spaghetti (white) 43- al dente and thicker lowers index
• Spaghetti (wholemeal) 39
• Sweet corn 55
• Sweet potato 54
• Tomato juice 38
• Wheat bread made with 75% cracked wheat kernels 48 

High GI: Processed foods, Breads

• Banana (ripe) 58
• Croissant 69
• Dark rye bread 76
• Dates (dried) 72
• Doughnut 76
• French baguette 68
• Pineapple 66 
• Potato (boiled or mashed ) 74
• Table sugar 65
• White bread 70
• Wheat Bread 71

This site provides a searchable tool for things I have missed:
http://www.glycemicindex.com/foodSearch.php
(Picture above also from this site) 

Also Oprah says "No carbs before bed" and, well, I believe her so I am going to try that too!