• Low-carb chicken and vegetable soup is a healthy food option.low carb chicken and vegetable soup 1 image by Brett Mulcahy from Fotolia.com
  
  Low-carbohydrate diets restrict carbohydrate intake as part of weight control or weight-loss programs. Food high in carbohydrates, such as bread, is replaced with protein-rich foods as well as fruits and vegetables. Low-carb diets promote blood sugar and digestive hormone regularity, which is thought to control weight gain and even promote weight loss. When beginning a low-carb diet, do not stop eating carbohydrates; this can cause cravings and make dieting difficult. Discover healthy carbs and ease into your new diet.
  
  

Soup

• Low-carbohydrate chicken and vegetable soup is an easy beginning meal for your diet. It's familiar and doesn't take long to prepare. To make this soup, bring eight cups of water to a boil while you chop three carrots, four celery sticks, one parsnip, one leek and 1 cup of green beans. Crush one clove of garlic. Cut 1 lb. of skinless chicken breast into small cubes. Add the vegetables, garlic and 4 to 5 tblsps. of chicken stock into the boiling water and boil for five minutes, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the chicken after 15 minutes and bring the soup back to a boil for 2 minutes, then let it simmer for 20.
  
  

Salad

• Salads are a staple of the low-carb diet. To make a delicious spinach salad with pine nuts and bacon, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil until warm on medium heat. Add four slices of bacon and cook until they begin to curl. Add 2 tbsps. of pine nuts and two cloves of minced garlic and cook until bacon is completely done. Turn off the stove and immediately add 1 pound of rinsed spinach leaves and another tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté for 30 seconds or until spinach is warmed and slightly wilted. Top with Parmesan cheese if you wish and serve immediately.
  
  

Quick Meal

• A low-carb meal that fits a busy lifestyle is a dish called SMO, or steak, mushrooms and onions. It is easy and quick to prepare and relatively inexpensive. To prepare this meal, heat one package of stew meat in a large skillet until browned. Add one small, chopped onion and half a package of precut wood ear mushrooms and cook until onions are transparent and meat is done. Add seasoning of your choice, such as garlic powder.