When counting your macros your goal is to hit a specific number of protein, carbs, and fat on a daily basis. More often than not, if you’re looking to cut body fat and maintain or gain lean muscle mass, your fat calories are going to be a lot lower than your protein or carbohydrate. However, this presents its own challenge - how do you know which high-carb foods are low-fat? Which high-carb foods are healthy and aren’t going to add unnecessary amounts of sugar or unnecessary calories? Let's explore those questions and more to help you choose some high-carb low-fat snacks and meals.

High-Carbs Food That Are Low-Fat

Dairy

Skim milk, Greek yogurt, and chocolate milk (fair life is our favorite) are decent on the carbohydrate side of things while adding in a dash of protein and negligible fats. Oikos triple zero Greek yogurt for example by Dannon offers 15g carbs, 15g protein, and 0g fat. Boom.

Fruit

The higher on the glycemic index the higher carbohydrate content a fruit is going to have. In other words, the more sweet the fruit, the higher the carb content. Those that top the list for us are bananas, dates, peaches, and grapes. Most servings of fruit offer 20-25g carbs and less than 1/2 gram of fat. Better yet, if you opt for a fruit with fiber in it (like an apple) you’ll be fuller for longer.

Legumes

Beans, beans, the magical fruit… one cup of these can offer up to 120g of carbs (kidney, black, and garbanzo for example). If you’re looking for the high carb foods that are low-fat, opt for beans that aren’t mixed with oils like hummus. Toss your beans in salad, with meat, or mash them on their own. You can also try drying them for a healthy crunchy snack.

Clean Carbs

Looking for a whole, real food high-carb foods that are low-fat and come in liquid/powder form? Then Clean Carbs is the supplement you’ve been missing. Whether you’re an athlete or someone looking to add more quality carbohydrates into your diet, then Clean Carbs is the missing product in your supplement cabinet. In each scoop of powdered sweet potato, yam, oat and blueberry, you get 24g carbohydrates, 1g fat, 2g protein. It tastes like brown sugar oatmeal and mixes great with water, milk/nut milk, overnight oats, yogurt and more.

Whole Grains

A healthful diet includes whole grains for the nutrient and fiber content. Think high-carb foods that are low-fat like oatmeal, whole grain pasta, and whole grain bread/minimally processed breads. They’ll be low in fat, high in carbs, and packed with fiber and vitamin B. Other whole grains that we encourage are quinoa, barley, and rye. Like pasta? Give whole wheat pasta a chance or switch it up for a chickpea pasta for a little legume carbohydrate boost. Overnight oats are a staple go to here as well which you can boost with protein and fruit to make into a complete meal that is high-carb and low in fat.

RELATED ARTICLE: 5 Overnight Oats Recipes

Dried/Baked Fruit

While dried and baked fruit snacks are great high carb foods low in fat, buyer beware here, they can be chocked full of sugar. Opt for dried fruit and baked fruit that doesn’t have added sugars so that you can get the nutrients and the carbs without the unnecessary calories from them being rolled or tossed in simple sugar.

Starchy Vegetables

Like fruit, most vegetables are low in fat. However, starchy vegetables, the more colorful ones, are the way to go if you’re looking for some quality high-carb foods low in fat. Think things like green peas, carrots, russet potato, sweet potato, yam, butternut squash, and others. Green and darker colored vegetables are great for nutrient content but may not fit your high-carb foods low in fat that you’re looking for in this article. Other vegetables with a higher carb content are carrots, bell peppers, eggplant, and brussels sprouts.

Rice Cakes

Rice cakes, rice chips, and corn chips and popcorn are easy high-carb foods low in fat to add to your snack list. We’ve been crushing on pop corners, pop chips, and Quaker rice cakes personally!

Pureed Food

If you’re looking for quick high-carb foods low in fat then maybe opt for a squeeze pouch of pureed fruits and vegetables (maybe even legumes). This might look like a baby food squeeze pouch or something more for adults like applesauce or a Noka Organics pouch. The only difference between pureed pouches for adults and children/babies is usually the amount in the pouch. After all, everyone can benefit from fruits and vegetables! Better yet - make your own puree at home to increase those high-carb foods low in fat while also boosting nutrient intake.

High-Carb Foods That Are Low-Fat: Takeaway 

Carbs often get a bad wrap in the nutrition world. While there are plenty of different types of carbohydrates it’s important to note that not all carbs are created equal and some of them are super healthy! Whether you’re looking to follow a high-carb diet or just looking to get some more food in without the unnecessary fat, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 9 high-carb foods that are low-fat for you to choose from the next time you head to the grocery store. We recommend aiming for the whole food carbohydrates and keeping your processed carbs to a minimum.

Ready To Add Some Complex Carbs To Your Diet?

Your body needs carbohydrates for optimal performance and recovery during high-intensity and endurance training. But, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Swolverine's Clean Carbs is made with 100% natural whole-foods from complex carbohydrates, including Sweet potatoes, Yams, Oats, and Blueberries to provide the long-lasting and sustained energy your body needs to fuel performance and optimize recovery. Delicious and rich you can add it to your smoothies, shakes, or mix with water, for a rich and tasty treat.

SWOLVERINE IS AN ENDURANCE ATHLETE AND ACTIVE LIFESTYLE BRAND. MADE FOR THE ELITE ATHLETE, AND THE STRONG-WILLED OUR PRODUCTS WERE DESIGNED TO FUEL YOUR ATHLETIC PERFORMANCE. WE PERFORM WHEN YOU PERFORM. 

We believe that everyone can optimize not only their athletic performance but their human potential. The way we believe we can optimize performance is through transparency, clinically effective doses, and clinically proven ingredients with evidence-based outcomes. We provide the nutrients you need to power your active lifestyle.