But how could any one type of food cause such a big problem? Of course, not exercising and eating larger portions of any foods than we need take the lion's share of blame for the obesity epidemic. But the so-called "bad" carbs — sugar and refined foods — tend to be significant contributors to excess calories. Why? Because they're easy to get our hands on, come in large portions, taste good, and aren't too filling.

People tend to eat more of these refined foods than needed. And, often, foods like colas and candy provide no required nutrients, so we really don't need to eat them at all.

But just because refined carbohydrates have received a lot of flak in recent years doesn't mean that all simple sugars are bad. Simple carbohydrates found in a lot of very nutritious foods — like fruits, vegetables, and dairy products, which provide a range of essential nutrients that support growth and overall health. For example, fresh fruits contain simple carbs, but they have vitamins and fiber, too.

The 2005 dietary guidelines recommend that Americans eat more unrefined (often called "good") carbohydrates by saying that everyone — including kids and teens — should increase whole-grain consumption and limit their intake of added sugar. For children, at least half of their grain intake should come from whole grains.

Whole grains certainly sound like the healthy way to go. But what makes them so different from simple carbohydrates? Whole grains are complex carbohydrates (like brown rice, oatmeal, and whole-grain breads and cereals) that are:

• broken down more slowly in the body. Whole grains contain all three parts of the grain (the bran, germ, and endosperm), whereas refined grains are mainly just the endosperm — and that means more for your body to break down. More to break down means the breakdown is slower, the carbohydrates enter the body slower, and it's easier for your body to regulate them.
• high in fiber. Not just for the senior-citizen crowd, foods that are good sources of fiber are beneficial because they're filling and, therefore, discourage overeating. Diets rich in whole grains protect against diabetes and heart disease. Plus, when combined with adequate fluid, they help move food through the digestive system to prevent constipation and may protect against gut cancers.
• packed with other vitamins and minerals. In addition to fiber, whole grains contain more important vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, magnesium, and iron.

Unrefined carbohydrates found in whole grains are ideal, refined grain products may be fortified with folic acid (also called folate), iron, and other nutrients, and as a result may contain more of these nutrients when compared with whole-grain foods that have not been fortified.

The actual amount of grains will vary depending on your child's age, gender, and level of physical activity. On average, school-age children should eat about 4- to 6-ounce equivalents from the grain group each day and at least half of these servings should come from whole grains. All ounce equivalent is like a serving. So one slice of bread, 1 cup of ready-to-eat cereal, or a half cup of cooked rice, cooked pasta, or hot cereal can be considered a 1-ounce equivalent.

Sizing Up Sugar

Instead of soda or juice drinks (which often contain as much added sugar as soft drinks), offer kids low-fat milk, water, or 100% fruit juice. Although there's no added sugar in 100% fruit juice, the calories from the natural sugars found in fruit juice can add up. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends limiting juice intake to 4–6 ounces (118–177 milliliters) for children under 7 years old, and no more than 8–12 ounces (237–355 milliliters) of juice for older kids and teens.

Figuring Out Carbs and Sugar

It isn't always easy to tell which foods are the best choices and which aren't, just by looking at the labels. To figure out carbohydrates, look under Nutrition Facts on food labels, where you'll find three numbers for total carbohydrate: the total number of carbohydrates, the amount of dietary fiber, and sugars.