Pretzels- Pretzels are basically nutrient-stripped carbs covered in blood-pressure-raising salt, so are you really all that shocked they made this list? They offer no health benefits and lack any ingredient that will help keep you full or satisfied.
Packaged Cheese & Crackers- A simple delivery method for cheese, one serving of these crunchy rectangles has about 18 grams of carbohydrates. That may seem modest compared to the carbs hiding out in a 16 oz smoothie, but unlike a drink made chiefly of blended fruit, crackers bring nothing to the party nutritionally besides the waist-widening carbs. Top them with high-fat cheese and you’ll do your silhouette a huge disservice.
French Fries- It’s estimated that after it was introduced to Europe from South America, the potato was responsible for 65% of the increase in Western Europe’s population and a 25% of the increase in the rate of urbanization. Why? Well, the spud is an awesome vegetable rich in fiber, protein and vitamins. Over the past century, however, people have gotten a taste for the potato sans most of its inherent goodness. We’re talking fries. Take off the skin (where many of the nutrients and fiber live) and greatly increase the fat-soaking surface area by cutting it into long thin pieces, and boom, you’ve turned a positive into a negative. All carbs, all fat, and little in the way of anything else.
Bagel- According to Manuel Villacorta, RD, author of Eating Free: The Carb Friendly Way to Lose Inches, to be nutritionally worthwhile, eating a bagel must be paired with something else: A two- to three-hour run. See, even before you’ve treated it with butter, cream cheese, or a similar delivery method for empty carbs, a bagel could pack 250 to 300 calories and a whopping 50 grams of carbs. That makes a morning bagel significantly more caloric and carborific than a serving of white-flour pasta.