12 healthy food swaps for your favorite refined carbs

Make no mistake: Carbohydrates are essential—they're the body's main energy source. But the more refined a carb is, the worse it is for you: "Refined carbs have had much of the fiber and good-for-you compounds stripped away, which makes them less nutritious and filling," says Rachel Meltzer Warren, RDN, a nutritionist in Jersey City, New Jersey.