Vegetables, especially non-starchyvegetables, are a healthy and important part of your diet.
Theyre packed with vitamins, minerals, disease-fighting antioxidants, and fiber.
What Are Starchy and Non-Starchy Vegetables?
Bhaskar Dutta / Moment Open / Getty Images
Non-starchy vegetables are low in calories andcarbohydrates.
There are a lot of options to choose from, including some from each pop in of vegetable.
Thats important to keep in mind if you have diabetes or are on alow-carb diet.
Starchy vegetables include:
The starch content you get from these varies depending on how they’re cooked.
What Are the Health Benefits of Non-Starchy Vegetables?
It helps keep you full and stabilizes blood sugar by slowing down digestion.
Fiber can also helplower cholesterol levels.
Purchasing Produce
If possible, purchase produce thats in season.
Youll also reduce your carbon footprint by purchasing local produce.
The less time the vegetables spend traveling, the better their taste, too.
If your vegetables tend to spoil before you eat them, consider frozen versions.
Nutritionally, frozen vegetables are equal toor even better thanfresh vegetables.
Thats because theyre flash-frozen at peak freshness, which retains vitamins and minerals.
Frozen vegetables are also easy to prepare because theyre already washed and cut up.
Worried About Pesticides?
They urge you not to limit fruit and vegetable intake over pesticide concerns.
How Many Non-Starchy Vegetables Should You Eat?
It can also depend on whether you are pregnant or breastfeeding.
These guidelines include both starchy and non-starchy vegetables, but the majority of your vegetable intake should be non-starchy.
How to Prepare Non-Starchy Vegetables
you’re free to prepare non-starchy vegetables in numerous ways.
Getting Non-Starchy Vegetables Into Your Diet
Non-starchy vegetables are pretty versatile.
2016;133(2):187-225. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.115.018585
University of Michigan Comprehensive Diabetes Center.Non-starchy vegetables.
2019;73(3):578-586. doi:10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.12259
Environmental Protection Agency.Food and pesticides.
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
American Diabetes Association.Non-starchy vegetables for blood glucose control.
