If you're a carb-eater, then you probably know by now that all carbs are not created equal. "White" flours are those who have had most of the nutrition stripped out of them during processing. Whole grains, such as whole wheat bread, are a much more nutritious source of energy and fiber.

So just grab the bread with the whole wheat label, right? Not so fast. It's important in today's world of powerful marketing to read food labels carefully. When choosing whole wheat bread, you want to look for three things, according to Dr. Mallika Marshall, who recently visited The Early Show:

• Fiber: Fiber will not only help you stay full longer, it's also linked to long list of health benefits. Adults should eat between 25 and 30 grams a day, so choose a loaf of bread that has a high fiber content.
• Sodium: Store bought bread contains a surprisingly high amount of salt. Make sure your choice has less than 350 mg per serving.
• Hydrogenated Fats: Partially hydrogenated and hydrogenated fats are bad news. If you spot them on the label, move on to a different brand of bread.

I'm going to add my own item to the list -- high fructose corn syrup. It's nearly impossible to find bread without any sweetener in it, but it is possible to find a honey-sweetened bread if you want to avoid HFCS. Better yet, make your own bread at home and then you get to control what goes in it!

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I'm relatively new to this fitness blog and one of the biggest benefits that I've discovered from writing posts is that it gets me to search out and learn more and more about health and fitness. One of the tings I've discovered since I started is the concept of a superfood. As Bethany mentions in her post 'What exactly is a superfood', these items are basically just incredibly good for you as they're high in a number of nutrients, vitamins and more.

The author of this piece takes the time to discuss 5 personal favorites, and the breakdown and accompanying information go something like this:

• Whole grain bread - Find a loaf with 2g of fiber or more per slice. It should also be made with whole wheat or whole grain (as opposed to enriched) flour.
• Wild salmon - As many of us have heard, farmed salmon is often full of harmful chemicals. Stick to wild salmon and you'll consume all of the Omega-3 goodness with far fewer accompanying chemicals.
• Green vegetables - Anything that has a rich, green color like kale, broccoli or spinach is great for you as these foods are full of fiber, vitamin E and calcium.
• Blueberries - This is one fruit I'm hearing about constantly lately. They contain loads of antioxidants (more than any other food, according to the article) and also provide you with a bunch of vitamin C. Plus, they're just as healthy frozen as they are fresh.
• Avocados - I know a lot of people who avoid avocados because they contain fat. This is true, but it's monounsaturated fat, which is good for your heart. Plus they contain vitamins C, K and B6 as well as fiber and folate.

To find out the rest of what the author of the article said about each superfood, take a look here.

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What kind of bread do you enjoy? To some of us, it's that soft feeling of white bread while others like the whole-grain goodness of 100% whole wheat bread. There are significant differences nutrition-wise; do you know what they are?

White bread is often made with bleached flour (not the best thing for weight control) along with "enriched" somewhere in the ingredient list (enriched with what?). Generally, you'll find cheap sweeteners like high-fructose corn syrup in many bread varieties as well.

Try 100% whole wheat bread if you get a chance. Look for varieties that have no cheap ingredients (brown sugar as a sweetener, for example), no bleached components and a low calorie rating per slice. Me? I stay far away from white breads, because once you get used to the whole wheat variety, nothing quite tastes like it!

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