Mustard greens, like all starchy vegetables, contain few calories but a lot of nutrients. They contain very few calories per serving so, unless you eat them in large quantities, they won't affect your blood sugar levels. If you enjoy the peppery taste of mustard greens, you can safely include the vegetable on a diet aimed to prevent or control type 2 diabetes.
Nutrition Facts
Any food that contains 5 g of total carbohydrate or less per serving is considered a free carbohydrate, meaning it will not elevate your blood sugar levels. Mustard greens belong to the free carbohydrate category. One cup of cooked or raw mustard greens is considered 1 serving. One cup of cooked chopped mustard greens contains 21 calories and 2.94 g of total carbohydrate; 1 cup of raw chopped mustard greens contains 15 calories and 2.7 g of total carbohydrate.
Carbohydrate Basics
Carbohydrates, unlike protein and fat, cause your blood glucose levels to rise. Sugar and starch carbohydrates raise your blood sugar levels because both types of carbohydrate are converted into glucose molecules during digestion. Fiber, the third type of carbohydrate, does not affect your blood sugar levels. Fiber does not get broken down into glucose molecules -- it leaves your body undigested. Fiber provides the majority of carbohydrate in mustard greens.
Fiber
Mustard greens are a good source of fiber, an essential nutrient found in a variety of plant-based foods. Women should aim to include between 22 g to 28 g of fiber in their daily diets and men between 28 g and 34 g. Out of the 2.94 g of total carbohydrate in 1 cup of cooked mustard greens, 2.8 g come from fiber. Out of the 2.7 g of total carbohydrate in 1 cup of raw mustard greens, 1.8 g comes from fiber. A single serving of mustard greens contains less than 1 g of blood sugar-raising carbohydrate.
Recommended Intake of Carbs
To help manage your blood glucose levels, keep track of your carbohydrate intake. In general, healthy men and women should consume about 225 g to 325 g of total carbohydrate per day. If you suffer from elevated blood glucose levels due to diabetes, restrict your carbohydrate intake to about 45 g to 60 g per meal. Mustard greens make an excellent choice on a diabetes diet because they contain so few carbohydrates per serving that they will not raise your blood glucose levels.
References
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Non-Starchy Vegetables
- MayoClinic.com: Diabetes -- Exchange List: Free Foods, May 4, 2010
- United States Department of Agriculture Nutrient Database
- American Diabetes Association: Food and Fitness -- Carbohydrates
- MayoClinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating -- Glycemic Index Diet: Losing Weight with Blood Sugar Control, Nov. 24, 2009
- MayoClinic.com: Nutrition and Healthy Eating -- Healthy Diet: End the Guesswork with these Nutrition Guidelines, Feb. 22, 2011
