Carbohydrates. You love 'em. You hate 'em. They make the sugar that gives us energy. They make the sugar that piles on the pounds. What, then, are we supposed to make of this double-edged nutritional sword?

The biochemists will want to start by mentally classifying them into the “simple” and “complex” categories. Simple carbs break down into sugar relatively rapidly in your system, they're quick-burning fuels. Eat less of these. Often times, these simple carbs are just added sweeteners. Something to look for: the suffix –ose. Fructose, maltose, dextrose... all simple sugars dressed up in fancy names, and the higher up in the food's ingredient list label, the more of it there is.

Many dieters and “whole foods” aficionados think that if they are satisfying their sweet tooth through non-processed or “natural” sugars such as agave nectar, turbinado or bee's honey they are absolved of their sugar sins. They are incorrect. Whereas these added sweeteners may be (minimally!) superior to their cane counterparts from a “paleo” perspective, they are still added, simple carbs,and should be minimized or avoided completely.

Unless you are vegan, it is not like you will be able to avoid simple carbs altogether. Almost all milk and other dairy products contain lactose.

Complex carbohydrates take much longer to break down; these are the carbs your diet should favor, and the ones you should look to for your body's energy supply.

One great way to load up on beneficial complex carbs is to go heavy on the beans. In addition, kidney, white, black, pinto, and garbanzo, beans are also high in fiber, which not only greases our gastrointestinal machinery, but serves to make us feel more full, and, so, eat less.

Bread and pasta can be a good source of carbohydrates, if you are careful to select the correct grain. Barley, rye and whole wheat choices are vastly superior to the “regular.” It is these darker grains that contain more complex carbs.

The so-called “autumn” vegetables – sweet potatoes, squash and pumpkin – are great sources of complex carbohydrates, as are lentils and split peas.

Fruits boast mostly simple carbohydrates, but because of their high fiber and nutrient rich content, we tend to look the other way. But that does not mean that products that advertise themselves as “sweetened with juice” can't still be a problem. Most of these are also sweetened with sugars as well, and juice alone without pulp is a poor substitute.