One of the keys to optimal body composition is having carbohydrates  work with you, not against you! – John Rowley

Eliminate grains, particularly wheat. This is one of the most important things you can do with regards to carb intake. Wheat affects blood sugar levels the same way table sugar does. Besides the carbohydrate effect, grains such as oats, wheat, spelt are the most common food allergies.

The main source of carbs should be fibrous. Fibrous carbs typically have very low carb content. The high fiber content helps bring about a very moderate insulin response, thus making them an ideal fat loss food. The best sources of fibrous carbs include :
* Broccoli
* Lettuce
* Cabbage
* Cauliflower
* Mushrooms
* Green beans
* Onions
* Asparagus
* Cucumber
* Spinach
* All forms of peppers
* Zucchini
* Cauliflower

The darker the fruit, the better it is for you. Dark fruits tend to have very thin skin, (hence they need to produce more anti-oxidants to protect themselves from the sun). That is why darker fruits are great anti-inflammatory foods. For example, bananas have thick skins therefore they have lower anti-oxidants contents. Also the darker the fruit the lower on the gylcemic index it is. Of course, this applies to fruits in their natural state; when grapes become raisins, their glycemic index goes up because of dehydration of the fruit.

Replace grains with greens in sandwiches. Instead of using bread, use dark leafy greens to wrap the meat. It will slow down the glycemic index and help shift in your favor the acid/alkaline base, which green vegetables do very effectively.

Limit fructose intake. Even though fruits are great foods loaded with nutrients, they also contain fructose. Fructose in too high quantities can slow down thyroid function. Plus, fructose doesn’t raise insulin, which is why you should also avoid high fructose corn syrup which is in many foods today like the plague. In other words, since fructose does not raise insulin, the insulin is not getting it into muscle cells. It just lingers around and wreaks havoc on your metabolism. Most people should eat no more than 5-10 grams of fructose a day! For very active individuals, 20 grams of fructose should be the maximum intake.

Side note for you fitness enthusiasts: One of the worst sources of fructose are the weight loss bars containing high fructose corn syrup, that you can find in the “health” section of most stores today.

The best time to load up on carbs is the first 10 minutes following your workout. Since insulin sensitivity is at its highest after the workout, this is the time to take in your carbs to maximize muscle mass gains. This is the ideal time to have your 5-10 grams of fructose. This is the one time of day that you can have high glycemic carbs and have it be a benefit. I like using a little fruit juices with a high glycemic index (i.e. pineapple, grape, apple) with the rest of the carbs coming from a high fiber fruit, such as strawberries. I usually mix a couple of ounces of fruit juice, a few pieces of fruit, whey protein and water in a blender and make a nice post workout protein shake.

Add protein to your post-workout carb intake. Like I said, I add fruit to my post workout protein drink which will restore your glycogen after a hard workout which will help with your recovery without having your body store fat.