Non-Starchy Vegetables

This post comes by way of an article I stumbled across while trying to find an App for diabetic foods and exchange list analysis. There was none out there for the computer, just PDF's that I already have on this site. Would be nice to download a recipe and push a button to get the exchanges for that recipe, then put that on a form to track your daily allotted exchanges (sort of what Richard Simmons designed with his DEALAMEAL).

Back to the subject of bad information out on the Internet.
On a food blog (and I will not mention the name), I read that broccoli was a starchy vegetable so therefore should be eaten in limited amounts.
What?????  Excuse me????

Anyone who ever started a low carb diet is very familiar with starchy vs. non-starchy vegetables. Yes, my dears not all vegetables are created equal.
   
Vegetables come in many shapes and sizes. Right now we will cover nonstarchy vegetables.
They contain only small amounts of carbohydrate and calories, but they pack an important nutritional punch.
One serving (exchange) of a nonstarchy vegetable usually contains 5 grams of carbohydrate, 2 grams of protein, no fat and only 25 calories. For the vegetables listed below, one exchange equals 1/2 cup cooked vegetables or vegetable juice, or 1 cup raw vegetables.
If you eat 1 1/2 cups or more of cooked vegetables or 3 cups or more of raw vegetables in a meal, count them as one carbohydrate exchange.

As you can see, there are plenty of them out there to enjoy and since you can eat over a cup of these, I would suggest adding many to your diet. Breakfast anyone? Yes, please. I will have an Egg Beaters omelet with mushrooms, leeks & spinach.
Here are some great examples for lunch and dinner and if you are craving a little something sweet after all that good food? How about some amaranth pudding.

• Amaranth
• Artichoke
• Artichoke hearts
• Asparagus
• Baby corn
• Bamboo shoots
• Beans: green, Italian, wax
• Bean sprouts
• Beets
• Broccoli
• Brussels sprouts
• Cabbage: bok choy, Chinese, green
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Chayote
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Green onions or scallions
• Greens: collard, kale, mustard, turnip
• Jicama
• Kohlrabi
• Leeks
• Mixed vegetables without corn, peas or pasta
• Mung bean sprouts
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onions
• Oriental radish or daikon
• Pea pods
• Peppers, all varieties
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Sauerkraut
• Soybean sprouts
• Spinach
• Sugar snap peas
• Summer squash
• Swiss chard
• Tomato: raw, canned, sauce, juice
• Turnips
• Vegetable juice cocktail
• Water chestnuts
• Zucchini

Yes, I eat diabetic friendly meals all the time but because I have my Diabetes under control, I can splurge once in a while. To get you started, any recipes, that will follow strict ADA recommendations, will be posted under the page and label name "Diabetic Dish Busters".

This week I made Asian Stir-Fried Orange Chicken with Sugar Snap Peas (recipe to come). I try to serve at least one of these vegetables daily and most times there are a few in my soups that I have for lunch almost every day. If I have a small container of leftover vegetables from dinner, I do not throw them away, I add them to my soup. It is one of the best ways to add extra nutrition to your diet and a way to not throw money in the garbage.

I would post this list on your fridge or on a magnetic dry erase board (that's where I put all my Dad's lists so he sees them everyday).