Nutritionally speaking, carbohydrates usually amount to little more than sugar, and in the current dietary vernacular, sugar means bad. But is this fair? Not really. Although carbohydrates are sugars, starches, and fiber, (but mostly sugar), they aren’t inherently bad. Not all sugar is bad, believe it or not. In fact, your body needs sugar to run. Glucose (stored sugar) is your body’s preferred source of energy. Sugar allows your muscles and organs to do their work. Like other things, carbohydrates can be a force for both good and evil. It usually comes down to dose and source. If you’re eating too many carbohydrates and getting them from the wrong places, they can cause devastating effects like weight gain, heart troubles, Type 2 diabetes, liver disease, and more. So, how do you distinguish between good and bad? It’s quite easy. If it comes naturally in a food—such as a fruit, vegetable, …