SuperLowCarb.com

Carbs

Carbs in and of themselves do not cause weight gain. In fact, carbs provide fewer calories than fat or alcohol. (For example, carbs have 4 calories per gram, but fat has 9 calories per gram.) It's what you put on the carbs that makes them unhealthy.

Facts About Carbs

Carbs are easily converted to energy by our bodies, but some digest slower than others, and those are the ones you should try to include in your diet. They're called complex carbohydrates. Because they digest slowly, they keep you feeling full longer. Here's a short list of complex carbohydrates (also known as good carbs):

Whole grain or whole wheat bread
Whole grain or high fiber breakfast cereals
Oats
Whole wheat pasta
Long grain or brown rice
Potatoes (in limited amounts--sweet potatoes are best)
Beans/Lentils and most other vegetables
Fiber-rich foods like apples, oranges and pears

Complex carbohydrates generally have more fiber, which prevents constipation. Many people on a low carb diet report constipation as one of the side effects of their diet.

The carbs you should avoid are called simple carbs (also known as bad carbs). Here's a short list of them:

White bread
Sugary breakfast cereals
Regular pasta
White rice
Most desserts

Before you go on a low carb diet, know that you can have success with cutting carbs to only 130 a day. Most of us eat way more than that, but most low carb diets take counting carbs to unhealthy extremes.

Cutting the bad carbs in your diet is a good weight loss strategy, but going to a diet that's practically a no carb diet isn't a good idea. First of all, just as with any diet, you need to be able to do it the rest of your life to have long-term success with it. Most people can't do that. If you can, more power to you! But do some research to learn about possible side effects, both long- and short-term.