Low Carb Veggies

escalada22
escalada22 Posts: 191 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What are some low carb veggies you like to eat and some ideas on how to prepare them...for example I know spinach is low carb but never know how to prepare it!

Replies

  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    If the veggie grows above ground, it is low carb. Veggies like potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, beets and turnips tend to have higher carbs than other veggies. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, celery, string beans, etc., tend to be lower carb. Fruits like cucumbers and tomatoes are good too. Squash is pretty moderate.

    Grains like corn are higher carb, and many beans are higher carb.

    I tend to eat raw veggies with a salad dressing or cheese dip. Sautéed or steamed with butter is tasty. Broiled or BBQed is tasty too. Or put it in a soup. Smothered in cheese sauce is always good!

    Paleo cook books usually have lots of creative veggie ideas.
  • selmafeki
    selmafeki Posts: 48 Member
    You can do loads of things with spinach, smoothies, omelettes, bread, stews etc etc. Spinach is basically tasteless when its fresh so you can incorporate it in so many meals. Frozen spinach is good for soups, stews, and cooking in general. Most veggies are low carb, just watch out for potato lol. Cabbage, zucchini, all sorts of root vegetables are all good for you. Do some research, get ideas from instagram-youtube-fb.
    Good luck :)
  • CandiceMcD
    CandiceMcD Posts: 115 Member
    pretty much everything tastes good sauteed with a little olive oil & garlic. Cauliflower is awesome when you grate it and use it as rice.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    Leafy greens and veggies like these: romaine, spinach, swiss chard, collards, kale, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, avocados, okra, cucumbers, green beans, cauliflower, broccoli, bell peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli, snow peas.
    Saute the spinach.
    Or add some bacon to fresh spinach.
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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    escalada22 wrote: »
    What are some low carb veggies you like to eat and some ideas on how to prepare them...for example I know spinach is low carb but never know how to prepare it!

    melt a little butter in a pan, pile in the spinach, put a bit more butter on top and let it sautee / steam away for a few minutes and it'll reduce from a pan full of leaves to a more substantial vegetable side.
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    edited September 2015
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    If the veggie grows above ground, it is low carb. Veggies like potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, beets and turnips tend to have higher carbs than other veggies. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, celery, string beans, etc., tend to be lower carb. Fruits like cucumbers and tomatoes are good too. Squash is pretty moderate.

    Grains like corn are higher carb, and many beans are higher carb.

    I tend to eat raw veggies with a salad dressing or cheese dip. Sautéed or steamed with butter is tasty. Broiled or BBQed is tasty too. Or put it in a soup. Smothered in cheese sauce is always good!

    Paleo cook books usually have lots of creative veggie ideas.

    Great information! I've never really thought about it being above/below ground but yes! I usually say "Stick to green veggies." The ones that aren't green are usually higher in carbs, with the exception of some squashes.

    Spinach goes great in omelets. You can also cook some bacon and then saute spinach leaves in the drippings and crumble bacon on top. Tasty!

    I love yellow squash and zucchini sliced, steamed and buttered. Most veggies are good just like that.

    I'll make a tuna salad with canned tuna, mayo, some seasonings and then dice up a cucumber and mix it all up. I then eat it with a fork. It's really refreshing in the summer.
  • madammags
    madammags Posts: 97 Member
    edited September 2015
    nvmomketo wrote: »
    If the veggie grows above ground, it is low carb. Veggies like potatoes, yams, onions, carrots, beets and turnips tend to have higher carbs than other veggies. Spinach, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, celery, string beans, etc., tend to be lower carb. Fruits like cucumbers and tomatoes are good too. Squash is pretty moderate.

    Grains like corn are higher carb, and many beans are higher carb.

    To expand on this:
    From a biological/botanical point of view, there is no such thing as a vegetable. Vegetable is a purely culinary term. So, all the things we call vegetables have different biological functions and the function largely determines the nutritional content.
    Most underground vegetables are for the plant to store starch for energy for when the plant can't produce glucose by photosynthesis, so they are high in carb. Grains and beans are actually the seed of the plant, so just like eggs, they have to be nutrient dense to be able to support the new plant life. Fruits are there to protect the seed and to provide enticement for animals to eat them so the seeds can be dispersed, hence why they tend to be sweeter and colourful. Most other vegies are the leaves, stems, or flowers of the plant. They don't need to contain a lot of nutrients, but particularly the stem and leaves contain a lot of cellulose fibre as they need to provide the structural integrity of the plant.

    So for low carb, look for fruits with a high water content (like tomatoes, green beans, and zucchini), stems (like celery), flowers (like broccoli), or leaves (like spinach and lettuce)
  • deeS3211
    deeS3211 Posts: 11 Member
    Pintrest has 1000's of cool recipes. I swear by it and keep it new and fresh every week

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