I know one belief is that you need to avoid carbs if you want to lose weight. Is this so?

Cutting carbohydrates might help you lose weight in the short term, but it’s mostly because you are eating less food and fewer calories. Drastically cutting carbs means you’ll miss out on the nutritional benefits of healthy choices like whole grains, fruit, starchy vegetables, and legumes. Because so many foods are off-limits, it can be tough to stick with low-carb diets for very long. The best weight-loss plan is one you can stick with. To lose weight and keep it off, exercise regularly and use Canada’s Food Guide to plan a balanced diet with good food choices in the right amounts for you. Five tips for making carbs count are make at least half your grain choices whole, choose fewer refined grains like white bread, pasta and rice, as well as muffins, cookies and cakes, enjoy more vegetables and fruit, experiment with legumes such as black beans and chickpeas and keep portions of carbohydrate-rich foods in check.