Vegetables are the most important food you will feed yourself in your lifetime. Vegetables will cause your energy to increase, your eyes to sparkle, and your skin to look brighter. Vegetables are high in about every substance know to be indispensable. What you put in yourself becomes part of your body.
Vegetables provide many vitamins: A, C, and E, and mineral such as potassium, fiber, foliate. They are nutrient dense that means you get a lot of nutrients for few calories.
Although the carbs need to be counted if required by the specific diet, most vegetables are encouraged on low-carb diets. If you are on a specific diet, be sure to check out the list in the book.
If you are considering using organic vegetables, take a look at this list that is roughly arranged based on low and high carbohydrate counts, but all are non-starchy and commonly low in carbohydrates. The starchier vegetables should be avoided when reducing carbohydrates. Exact carb count depends on serving size.
Low-Carb Vegetables:
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Asparagus
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: 2.4g
|
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Beans, green
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: 2.9g
|
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Bok Choy
|
: 0.7g
|
|
Broccoli
|
: 1.7g
|
|
Cabbage
|
: 1.1g
|
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Cauliflower
|
: 1.5g
|
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Celery
|
: 0.8g
|
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Cucumber
|
: 1.8g
|
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Eggplant
|
: 2.0g
|
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Lettuce
|
: 0.5g
|
|
Mushroom
|
: 1.0g
|
|
Onion
|
: 4g
|
|
Peppers, Green
|
: 3.4g
|
|
Peppers, Red
|
: 3.3g
|
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Pickle
|
: 2g
|
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Radish
|
: 0.5g
|
|
Rutabaga
|
: 4.0g
|
|
Spinach
|
: 0.2g
|
|
Squash, yellow
|
: 1.4g
|
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Tomato
|
: 3.2g
|
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Turnips
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: 2.3g
|
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Zucchini (green squash)
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: 3.3g
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High Carb (Starchy) Vegetables:
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Artichoke
|
: 6.9g
|
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Brussels Sprouts
|
: 7.6g
|
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Carrot
|
: 5.1g
|
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Corn
|
: 14.1g
|
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Parsnip
|
: 9g
|
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Peas
|
: 6.5g
|
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Potato
|
: 14g
|
|
Pumpkin
|
: 6.3g
|
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Sweet Potato
|
: 28g
|
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Yam
|
: 36g
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How Much Should I Eat?
If you’re trying to find the least amount you ought to eat each day, the USDA suggests at least 2 ½ to 3 cups for men and women, and at least 2 cups for women over age 51. That’s about 21 cups of vegetables each week. Of these, men should strive for 6 cups of starchy choices weekly, and women should eat 3 cups of the starchy form weekly. Women over the age of 51 should have 2 ½ cups of starchy vegetables each week. |