Are carbs a good thing or bad?

So is it good to have a lot of carbs? Or is it better to have the least amount of carbs possible?

Carbs are like people.  There are good ones (complex carbs like whole wheat's breads and pasta, brown rice, ect.), and then there are not so good ones (refined and empty carbs like processed flours and added sugars)...

The idea is to hang around with the good ones as often as you can, but to also keep in mind that moderation in anything is important. The following link can offer you some further information about how many carbs you should be eating in order to have a more balanced diet. 

http://caloriecount.about.com/eating-right-am ount-fat-protein-carbohydrate-q8368

I wish you well!

Sweetjuney is right, there are good and bad carbs... but if you must eat the refined empty carbs, eat them in the morning so you have all day to burn them off and limit your carbs to non-starchy vegetables at night time! Complex carbohydrates are best though and can be found in foods such as whole grains like quinoa, arramarth, whole wheat, spelt, etc along with starchy carbohydrates like winter squash (acorn, butternut & pumpkin). So fill up on the complex carbs and leave the simple carbs that you find in donuts, white bread & pasta, cookies, crackers & cakes on the grocery store shelves! 

Original Post by sweetjuney:

Carbs are like people.  There are good ones (complex carbs like whole wheat's breads and pasta, brown rice, ect.), and then there are not so good ones (refined and empty carbs like processed flours and added sugars)...

Racist! xD

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I personally don't think it matter how many carbs with get, as long as they are mostly complex and as long as you are getting a good balance of nutrition from protein and fats also.

sweetjune is right - the more unrefined, natural carbs are healthy, containing nutrients like B vitamins and fiber, and give you long lasting energy.  But refined flour is not so good.

In fact, the same applies to fat: saturated and trans aren't very healthy, but the body needs a decent amount of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats for healthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels (nuts are one good source of these fats, and most nuts are low carb).

In essence, then, neither "low carb" or "low fat" addresses the real issue about different carbs or fats.  You need both of these in moderation, especially the good kinds for each category.