The average American will benefit from eating more vegetables. Vegetables provide essential vitamins and minerals, and may reduce your risk for heart disease and diabetes. According to the USDA's 2005 Dietary Guidelines, most Americans should eat more vegetables. The majority of vegetables are low in fat. If you are counting your carbohydrates, check a nutrient database to see exactly which carbohydrates are present in each vegetable.
Sugars
According to the Harvard School of Public Health, sugars are the building blocks of carbohydrates and are simple carbohydrates that your body can use for quick energy. Some foods have added sugars, such as sucrose or high fructose corn syrup, but sugars in vegetables are naturally present and include glucose, fructose, sucrose and maltose. The national nutrient reference database from the USDA states that a medium baked sweet potato has about 23.6g carbohydrates and 12.6g total sugars, with about 3.4g sucrose, 7.7g maltose, 0.9g glucose and 0.8g fructose. One cup of canned beets has 74 calories, 17.5g total carbohydrates and 16.1g sugars, including 12.9g sucrose. Some vegetables, such as broccoli and lettuce, have less than 2g of simple sugars.
Starch
Starch refers to carbohydrates that are made up of long chains of sugar molecules. They provide 4 calories per gram. The Harvard School of Public Health states that good sources include white bread and some vegetables. According to the USDA, a balanced meal plan for a healthy adult on a 2,000-calorie diet contains at least three cups of starchy vegetables per week. Examples of starchy vegetables are corn, green beans and white potatoes. A medium baked potato provides about 161 calories and 37g total carbohydrates, with about 30g starch. Some vegetables contain no or minimal amounts of starch. Examples include broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce.
Dietary Fiber
Some of the carbohydrates in vegetables are from dietary fiber, the parts of plant foods that your body cannot digest. Fiber does not provide calories, and it has important health benefits, such as reducing your risk for heart disease and constipation and helping control your blood sugar levels if you have type 2 diabetes. You should get about 30g fiber per day, but the Harvard School of Public Health states that the average American gets about 15g. Most vegetables are low-calorie sources of dietary fiber. An artichoke has about 60 calories and 6.5g fiber; a half-cup of green peas has 67 calories and 4.4g fiber; and half-cup of spinach has 30 calories and 3.5g fiber.
References
- United States Department of Agriculture: Vegetables And Vegetable Products
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source: Carbohydrates
- United States Department of Health And Human Services: Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2005
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source: Fiber: Start Roughing It
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