Eating healthy low carb meals not only helps you lose weight, but can also help control sugar cravings and result in lower cholesterol. Low carb meals are tasty and easy to prepare. While making the switch from traditional meals requires an adjustment period for most people, once in place a healthy low carb meal plan is an excellent alternative if you're looking to rid your diet of empty white starches and too much sugar.

While the recent history of eating low carb meals is mainly attributed to Dr. Robert Atkins, whose has sold millions of his books around the world in the past 20 years, Atkins was not the first to realize the benefits of low carb eating. In the early 1860s, a man named William Banting sought treatment for obesity and lifelong health problems. He found success with an ear, nose and throat doctor named William Harvey. Harvey put Banting on a diet of low carb meals that were high in protein with no sugar, bread, pastries or potatoes. Medical professionals railed against this practice, however, and low carb eating did not take off again on a large scale until Atkins' "New Diet Revolution" became popular in the 1990s.

While on a healthy low carb meal plan, you'll get most of your protein from lean meats, fish and low fat dairy foods such as cheese and milk. You can eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables with low carb meals, such as peaches, strawberries and avocados. These foods are also high in needed nutrients such as fiber, enzymes and minerals. Put together a healthy low carb dinner with smoked or grilled salmon, a side dish of steamed broccoli and a salad brimming with fresh vegetables and topped with Parmesan cheese and vinaigrette.

Sort through the hype surrounding healthy low carb meal plans. Myths about ketosis have been circulating for as long as low carb eating has been popular. Ketosis, the spilling of ketone molecules into the bloodstream, is not, itself, a dangerous condition. Ketones are produced when fat is metabolized by the body for energy because of a lowered intake of glucose. This process is often confused with ketoacidosis, a potentially serious state affecting mostly Type 1 diabetics. Because insulin metabolizes ketones into glucose, nondiabetics rarely experience dangerously high levels even when on a low carb meal plan.

Enjoy the benefits of a low carb meal plan, such as plentiful healthy meat dishes and breakfasts of eggs, cheese and fruit. In addition, when the bulk of your diet comes in the form of healthful low carb meals, your body is forced to burn fat for energy. You can prepare the meals more easily than ever with the wide variety of low carb options available in stores, such as whole grain bread, dressings and jams.

Consult your health care provider before instituting radical changes to your diet plan.