1. Mom Said
We have all heard Mom say, "Eat your veggies, they're good for you," and Mom was right. Vegetables supply vitamins, minerals and fiber to our diets; all of which keep you healthy. Vegetables range from very low carbohydrate content to a high carbohydrate content. Many people who follow a low carb diet think they cannot eat vegetables because they contain carbs, but this philosophy is misguided. Because vegetables contain fiber, the fiber count can be subtracted from the total carbs to achieve net carbs. Net carbs is the total amount of carbs that each vegetable contains and is used to calculate total carbohydrate intake on a low carb diet.
2. Mom Said Roughage is Good for you
Fiber is roughage and roughage is fiber. Mom always told us that fiber was good for you, and Mom was right. Fiber can be soluble or insoluble. Insoluble fiber (like the hulls from popcorn) is not digested by the body. Insoluble fiber helps the body get rid of excess carbs and fats that are consumed at the same time, like the butter on popcorn or popcorn itself. Insoluble fiber goes through the digestive system relatively whole. Soluble fiber is fiber that can be partially digested by the body, yet it still has the ability to add roughage to your system. If you eat a vegetable that is relatively high in carbs--but is also high in fiber the grams of carbs is reduced by the grams of fiber. This is the beauty of net carbs for a low carb dieter.
3. Mom Was Right
The carbohydrate content of vegetables is important for those who follow a low carb diet, but it's also important for diabetics to know. In diabetics, carbohydrates are difficult to convert into usable fuel and increase blood sugar readings. By eating carbohydrates with a higher fiber content, diabetics can keep blood sugar levels more stable. People who are on a low carb diet can also benefit from high fiber vegetables, because the net carbs are lower. Vegetables that are higher in carbs include artichokes, beets, beans, cassava, chicory, corn, cranberries, hominy, lotus root, shitake mushrooms, parsnips, peas, poi, potatoes, rhubarb, seaweed, cooked taro and yams. Vegetables that are considered low carb include asparagus, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, lettuce, radishes, spinach, turnips and watercress. If you are on a low carb diet, make sure you select vegetables that are high in fiber whenever possible to decrease the amount of carbohydrates your body actually uses.
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