There's lots of misconceptions concerning carbs and what they do or 
don't do. Carbohydrates is one of 4 nutrients that contains calories. 
Calories are the basic unit of energy that your body burns, NOT carbs,
however carbs do contain calories, as shown below:

1 gram of protein contains 4 calories
1 gram of carbohydrates contains 4 calories
1 gram of fat contains 9 calories
1 gram of alcohol contains 7 calories

As you can see, carbs and protein contain the least amount of calories.
Unfortunately, there is growing misunderstanding that reducing carb 
intake will make you lose weight, as though carbs has some type of 
magical powers. If you reduce carbs, you therefore reduce 
calories ...... that's the real answer.

The truth is, reducing carbs results in less calories. It is the 
overall reduction in daily calorie consumption that will cause weight 
loss. If you reduce carb, you automatically reduce calories.

Complex carbs are very healthy because they produce steady rise and 
fall of your blood sugar level. This makes you more energetic through 
the day without feeling famish. Complex carbs tend to be filling 
because they contain more fiber. More fiber means better elimination 
and less chance of cancer and other diseases.

Complex carbs come from whole grain bread (not the brown, doughy stuff), beans, vegetables (yes even potatoes without the fatty butter and sour cream), whole grain pasta or rice.

The problem is most of us eat too much simple carbs and refine sugar. 
It's difficult to find complex carb because of the abundance of 
over-processed, packaged foods. Most bread or pasta is made from 
bleach or refined flour, NOT whole wheat or whole grain. Most junk 
food are made of simple carbs that quickly elevate your blood sugar 
level, then drops it just as fast, much like sugary snacks.

It's amazing how so many low carb diets emphasize eliminating carbs at 
the expense of increasing fat. Too much fat is in western society diets is the #1 cause of obesity and heart disease. 

There are too many low carb, fad diets that set no limit on saturated fat (the stuff that clogs your arteries, kills you, and contains "zillions" of calories). It's NOT OK to reduce carbs and at the same time, eat as much fatty meat, oil, salad dressing, butter as you want.

A good low carb diet should also be more balance, meaning, total calories and fat is also considered. Keep in mind that most dieticians and
nutritionist recommend a healthy diet plan that ranges between 
50 - 65% carbs, 15 - 30% protein and 10 - 20% fat.

If you prefer a low carb diet, we recommend the following:

(1) Don't eliminate high fiber foods such as vegetables or beans.

(2) Learn to read the label on foods you buy so you can tell the 
difference between whole grain products and the phony imitation stuff 
made from refined or bleach flour.

(3) Occasionally include whole grain bread or rice if you like.

(4) Always drink at least 8 cups of water per day to help flush your 
kidneys of waste products. Do this regardless of diet type. An 
adequate amount of water is essential for the elimination process and 
has nothing to do with feeling bloated unless you eat a heavy meal 
while drinking lots of fluid.

(5) Look for low carb recipes and products that consider overall 
calorie consumption and attempt to reduce fat. Ruth Glick, 
Fabulous Lo-Carb Cuisine is an excellent resource.

(6) Limit portion size. Most of us eat portions that are too large. 
To lose weight, you must reduce overall calories, so strive for smaller
portions. Also eat 4 or 5 small meals through the day instead of 
2 or 3 large meals.