Low Carb Vegetable
A Few Facts About Low Carb Vegetables
Low carb vegetables have become very popular, especially with the emergence of high protein diets. Vegetables with carbohydrates are necessary for a balanced, healthy diet but for some people, such as diabetics, it is good to mix them with low carb veggies so that blood sugar levels can stay under control. People who are trying to lose weight also seek out low carb vegetables because they tend to have fewer calories than the starchier vegetables.
There are actually many more low carb vegetables than there are starchy ones. That means it is easier to identify what not to eat if you are avoiding vegetables with high carbohydrates. Do not eat a lot of corn, potatoes, winter squash, peas, beets and parsnips.
Low carb vegetables are recommended because vegetables, especially those that can be eaten raw, have proven to reduce the risk of acquiring several kinds of cancers as well as heart disease and stroke. Some of these cancers are colorectal, gastric, and breast cancer. The antioxidants in these vegetables also help people with type II diabetes, asthma, and eye diseases associated with aging.
It is recommended that each of us eat three to five servings a day of vegetables. Green, leafy vegetables should be high on the list. They are full of vitamins and minerals and dietary fiber. Among the very best low carb vegetables are all kinds of greens--mustard greens, collards, kale, turnip greens, spinach, chard, herbs and sprouts. All of these are great in salads.
Next on the list of low carb vegetables you should add to your diet are celery, bok choy, radishes, mushrooms, asparagus, and cucumbers. All of these vegetables are also very low in calories so there is no problem eating as many as you wish. Avocados are very good for you as well. Many people avoid them because of their fat content, but the fat in avocados is actually a good kind of fat, and not the one that leads to such conditions as heart disease.
Cabbage is a good low carb vegetable as are green and yellow beans, all types of peppers, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, and summer squash--the yellow kind and zucchini. If you want to get really adventurous, try bamboo shoots, snow peas, fennel, artichoke hearts, okra and celeriac, which is celery root.
And don’t forget those carrots that your mother always told you would help your vision--carrots are full of beta-carotenes, vitamin K, fiber, vitamins C and B6, thiamine, potassium, and antioxidants, which help prevent cancers of the bladder, prostate, colon, cervix, esophagus and larynx. And our mothers were right, carrots are good for our eyes and vision, and even help prevent aging diseases such as macular degeneration and cataracts.
There are really no disadvantages to adding low carb vegetables to your diet, but the health benefits are numerous.