How many carbs do you need per day? That can be a fairly complex question, but the US Department of Health & Human Services recommends that half of your daily calories come from carbohydrates. Therefore, if your daily calorie consumption is around 2,000 calories, then about 1,200 of those should come from carbs.

When considering how many carbs per day to eat, it's important to remember not all carbs are created equal. Nutritionists recommend getting healthy carbohydrates like whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and legumes. Unhealthy carbs that you should avoid include sugary soda and processed foods like cookies and potato chips.

Thanks to popular diet plans like the Atkins Diet, many believe that decreasing your carb intake will lead to weight loss. However, experts say this is a short-term solution. Ultimately, a healthy diet should be within your recommended daily intake of calories and include both carbs and protein.

More Diet and Fitness Questions Answered:

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Liz Neporent is a diet and fitness expert and author of 12 fitness bestsellers. She regularly appears on national TV programs and is the president of Wellness 360, a New-York based wellness provider.

A few weeks ago I debunked the whole net zero carbs charade. This week I thought we should discuss good versus bad carbs, since that's still a source of constant carb confusion for many of you out there in That's Fit Land. So let us set the record straight, enabling you to sally forth to the supermarket, a restaurant or even just your refrigerator a much wiser, less carbophobic eater.

When you hear the term "good" carbs, think unrefined, unprocessed, whole grain, as close to their natural state as possible. Bad carbs are refined, high in processed sugars, often accompanied by loads of fat and packed with way too many calories. Examples of "good" carbs: Apples, oatmeal and carrots. Examples of "bad" carbs: Apple pie, oatmeal cookies and carrot cake.

New research from Monash University identified key appetite control cells in the human brain. These cells are attacked after eating, but the attack is bigger and stronger following a meal rich in carbohydrates and/or sugar.

"The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are damaged," said Zane Andrews, MD, the lead researcher on the study. The result? You eat more.

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You can have your pasta and eat it too. Potatoes and rice included. Not only will these items not weigh you down, they might help you shed a few pounds.

New evidence, cited in Woman's Day magazine (December 2, 2008), suggests that when you cook and cool starchy goods like pasta, potatoes and rice, a substance called resistant starch forms. Also found in bananas, lentils, beans, and whole grains, your body can't digest the stuff. It acts like fiber, you see, so eating it helps you feel full. It also helps your body burn stored fat before turning it to carbohydrates for fuel.

Get your fill -- vegetarian chili, bean salads and cold potato, pasta and rice salads are all good picks.

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My son has taken a recent interest in my workout DVDs. Usually we do them together, but the other night I was working while he was exercising. I heard him pause the DVD and I thought he went to get a drink of water. Instead, I looked over and saw him eating pudding while working out. I had to laugh. While it was incredibly counterproductive, I'll admit that I was a little impressed with his coordination!

Obviously snacking while working out doesn't make much sense, but research now says that a snack after working out doesn't do much good either (unless you're an elite athlete). During a recent study, participants walked on a treadmill for an hour (burning an average of 500 calories). Half of the group was given a high-calorie carbohydrate drink immediately after exercise; the other half had nothing. Those who had nothing had a 40% increase in insulin efficiency post-exercise. The benefit was completely wiped out in those who had the high-carb drink. Researchers saw similar results in a follow-up test using high and low-carb foods instead of drinks.

Your best bet after exercising is to just have a glass of water. Unless you've just participated in really intense, prolonged exercise, there's no need for sports drinks. And hold off on snacks unless you're feeling really hungry or weak.

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Trying to cut back on carbs for weight loss? Try some of these creative and delicious substitutes.

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Eat beans, say the smart ones at my fitness center. Just got another e-mail health tip from them, and it's all about, yep, beans.

Beans are inexpensive and delicious and easy to keep stocked in your pantry. Best of all, they're packed with protein, complex carbohydrates, and fiber. They're also cholesterol-free, almost fat-free, and if the health experts of the world are right, they'll even lower your cholesterol. The best when it comes to cholesterol-lowering beans: Pinto, navy, and garbanzo beans all have similar lowering effects. Researchers think it's phytochemicals, the compounds that gives plants their color, that may be responsible.

Time to add beans to your soups, casseroles, salads, dips, and more. Think about making them the focal part of your next meal and see what you think.

One recent story that's been populating my google reader several times over is the recent comparison of diets. In short, low-carb diets were found to be the most successful, followed by the Mediterranean diet, with low-fat diets in last place.

But don't be so quick to trash all your bread and pasta. Low-carb diets aren't all their cracked up to be. I'm Not Obsessed recently revealed one very big problem with low-carb plans: Not enough fiber, leading to digestive issues, particularly constipation. As someone with IBS (read: regular digestive issues) I would stay away from this kind of diet, and I'm not expert but maybe you should too.

The key, if you ask me, is balance. Low-carb diets can help you slim down, but don't take it to an extreme. Make sure you're still getting a bit of healthy, whole grain fiber in your diet. You know, to keep things moving.

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One of the major problems with fast-digesting carb sources is that they drive up blood glucose levels, which in turn causes the release of insulin. These two factors, individually and especially when combined, can lead to unhealthy weight gain.

To help remedy this problem, the obvious choice is to take white pasta, white rice, candy, and other simple sugar sources out of your diet. But what about the occasional slip-up? You know, when you fall "off the wagon" for a night or two and devour a Domino's pizza? In those instances, you may want to add some Thai "yellow" curry powder to your slices.

Why? Because a single serving of this Thai flavoring was found to slow the absorption of sugar into the bloodstream after consuming carb-rich foods, say researchers from Mahidol University in Thailand. As an added bonus, this same spice was found to reduce the risk of heart failure.

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We are what we eat. Sure, we've been hearing that since we were in grade school, but it's a health maxim that, for whatever reason, never really seemed to stick. For proof of this assertion, visit any 7-11 and count the number of Big Gulp purchases that are made in ten minutes.

There is an enormous amount of evidence to support the existence of a food/well-being connection. Some foods affect how we handle stress (such as blueberries, which have been shown to reduce cortisol levels), while others have a direct impact on our mood (such as fish, dark chocolate, and sunflower seeds). Others, like potassium-rich bananas, regulate blood pressure, while high-protein eggs help build strong muscles and almonds increase blood flow, thereby improving sexual function.

These are only a few examples of how we truly are a direct result of what foods we consume. With this in mind, then, maybe it's time we thought about renaming the "Happy Meal," since its high-fat, high-carb content can lead to a very unhappy level of cholesterol and blood sugar. Maybe doing so will help the youth of today to better understand what You Are What You Eat really means and will therefore influence their dietary decisions.

Like cognition-improving walnuts, it's some food for thought.

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Low-carb, low-carb, low-carb. Aren't you tired of hearing that by now? I know that I am. But what is it about carbs that make them such bad news? Nothing, really. Carbohydrates are a vital part of a balanced diet. Clearly, it's the simple, fast-digesting carbs found in sugary soft drinks, candy, and juices that are best to avoid. Whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, on the other hand, should make their way onto your plate daily. Just the same, we still hear all about no- and low-carb foods at every turn, only there's little explanation as to why we would want to cut back on this macronutrient.

To understand how carbs end up being stored as fat, we have to take a look at glycogen -- the carb fuel stored in muscles. Whereas fat stores keep growing, your glycogen tank can only hold a certain amount of carbs. Once you've eaten more than your fill of carbs, they spill over into your bloodstream and are then converted into fat by your liver. What's more, many forms of carbs can raise insulin levels. A recent Japanese study, published in the Kobe Journal Medical Sciences, revealed that insulin may prevent the breakdown of fat. So, there we have it -- too many carbs causes a storage of fat due to glycogen overflow, in addition to causing less fat to break down from increased insulin levels.

Does this all support the no- and low-carb craze, then? Not really. As stated earlier, all it does is further reinforce the notion that you must keep your carb intake under control (which, quite frankly, isn't any groundbreaking information), including making smart choices when it comes to carb sources. But, what it does at least provide is an explanation as to why and how overindulging in carbs can lead to weight gain.

The incidence of throat cancer -- also known as esophageal adenocarcinoma -- is on the rise. So is obesity. And it seems the two are linked. Actually, it's the increasing intake of total and refined carbohydrates and the subsequent climb of obesity rates that are connected with the disease.

While these measures do not necessarily reflect individual risk for throat cancer, researchers say that overall, this cancer is "strongly correlated" with high carbohydrate consumption. This cancer is also associated with gastoesophageal relflux (GERD) which happens to also be linked with obesity and high carb intake.

Interestingly, researchers found a decrease in rates of squamous cell cancer of the esophagus which is more affected by smoking. Does that mean people are smoking less. Could be.

How good are you doing at avoiding cancer? Take this AOL Body cancer quiz and find out.

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Why are we gaining so much weight? Sedentary lifestyles certainly don't help, nor does our over-reliance on comfort technology (ie. cars, escalators, elevators, etc.). However, an argument can easily be made that diet is the main reason why our waistlines are growing. And, in particular, how our girth is largely due to how much sugar we consume.

Because simple sugars deliver a large amount of calories with little to no nutrition, it only makes sense that eating candy and drinking soda all day will cause a person to feel terrible and gain weight. A study published in the Annual Review of Nutrition found that from 1970 through 2000, daily caloric intake among women ages 20 to 39 jumped from 1,652 to 2,028. Interestingly, over the same period, the percentage of calories sourced from fats and protein decreased. So, we essentially got rid of of the healthy stuff and replaced it with junk.

It's no wonder, then, that since the average American consumes 25 pounds more sugar annually than we did back in the days of disco, we're barely able to get on the floor and dance these days.

Zinc is more than just a way to use a 'z' in scrabble -- it's an essential nutrient that your body needs, both to heal wounds and injuries and help your body break down carbohydrates. How do you know if you're getting enough? Here are some signs that you're not, according to Everyday Health:

• Wounds, lesions and infections are difficult to heal.
  
• Your appetite is decreased.
  
• You experience an abnormal sense of taste and smell.
  
• You have difficulty seeing in the dark
• You experience abnormal hair loss.
  

Think you might be low on zinc? Load up on protein sources like red meat, turkey, seafood and legumes, as well as veggies like spinach and peas. Whole wheat bread, yogurt and milk are also good sources.

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I won't say he's wrong, the author of Good Calories, Bad Calories: Challenging the Conventional Wisdom on Diet, Weight Control and Disease. I will say I'm intrigued by what he has to say about losing weight -- that it's carbohydrates and not fat and lack of exercise causing Americans to gain weight -- because in my experience, limiting fat and increasing my workouts helped me drop 15 pounds. But hey, maybe I'll give his advice a whirl and see what happens.

Gary Taubes says fat, even the saturated kind, does not cause heart disease. He says that obesity is not caused by eating too much and that exercising is certainly not the key to weight loss. He claims the diet industry is telling us to eat precisely the foods that make us fat, and he declares that carbohydrates engineer our bodies to accumulate fat. The fewer carbs we eat, the leaner we'll be, says this man who vehemently disagrees with diet experts who advise a low-calorie, low-fat plus exercise regime. This approach has a dismal success plan, according to Taubes. Restrict your carbs to 60 grams per day and you'll lose weight -- in one study, weight loss averaged 37 pounds. Go the low-calorie, low-fat route and this study finds you'll lose four.

Here's why cutting carbs works: You burn up the fat you have and store less, stave off insulin resistance, feel less hungry, and have more energy.

Scientific evidence on Taubes' viewpoint is insufficient to recommend or condemn this type of diet, partly because the diets in line with his thinking (like the Atkins diet) are not backed by long-term trials that prove safety.

I kind of like my diet at this moment in time. It's fairly low in calories, fat, and sugar (Taubes does agree sugar is a diet no-no), void of sweets and soda, packed with fruits and veggies, and not so restricted on the carbohydrate front -- although breads, potatoes, and rice don't usually accompany my at-home meals, I do tend to snack on crackers and pretzels and I always go overboard with the bread basket when dining out. And exercise is a staple in my life -- when it comes to the link between exercise and weight loss, I'm a believer.

What do you believe? The reigning wisdom of diet and fitness experts or the controversial wisdom on Taubes?

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