Counting carbs and calories? See how, with the popularity of low carb diets, plans have emerged to get you on the road to a trimmer, healthier figure.

The great thing about some low carb diets plans is that they require nothing more than  quick and easy cooking. You also have to stock up on key food items, including some fish and vegetables you can probably steam.  Remember also that you can pair off your main entrees with a flavorful salsa/salad, so always have at hand healthy low carb ingredients for a salad, like spinach and celery. Spinach is a good source of fiber, iron, vitamins and minerals. Celery (which only has 20 calories for every serving) likewise has fiber and the immune system-boosting antioxidant - vitamin C.

There are some important facts you should know before sticking to some popular low  carb diet plan.  What you should be cutting back on are “bad carbs” like white bread, white rice, potatoes, regular cake and pasta which tend to make you feel the hunger pangs so quickly after eating and digesting them.

With low carb diets, plans like the “Zone Meals” (which uses the 40-30-30 ratio of carbs, proteins, and fat, respectively) can stave off  hunger by minimizing starchy carbohydrates and focusing, instead, on complex carbohydrates like vegetables and fruits. Tasty recipes falling under the Zone Meal can be easily created. For example, you can place some poached shrimp cooked with less than a teaspoonful of white wine and bay leaves atop a bed of lettuce with a mound of salad with drops of olive oil (known to slow down the loss of good cholesterol) sprinkled with some parsley and you have a really appetizing meal.