To ensure that your carb counts don't add up too quickly. Here are our straightforward do's and don'ts guide for keto vegetables.
One of the biggest misconceptions about a keto or low-carb diet is that all the foods you're going to eat will be bland or cooked to death.
The reality is so far from it.
Vegetables both cooked and raw play an important role in helping to keep the keto diet balanced nutritious and delicious.
Of course, you can find hundreds of types of vegetables at your local grocery store supermarket or farmers market.
Those who are on the keto diet learn to consider each vegetable they add to a dish with care. After all, some vegetables are high in sugar and don't deliver the nutrition way we need them to.
Here are our straightforward do's and don'ts guide for keto vegetables.
First, let's start with the good stuff.
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The ideal vegetables for a ketogenic diet are high in nutrients and low in carbs.
Our number one go-to veggie is anything dark and leafy of course there's spinach and kale and plenty of other tasty greens like collards, swiss chard, mustard greens, and arugula.
These tend to be high in iron, packed with vitamins and antioxidants. Filled with fiber and nice and low on the carbs.
We'd love to mix up fresh leafy green salads or prepare side dishes like creamed spinach or roasted kale at dinner time.
Leafy greens aren't the only low carb veggies the keto diet also welcomes members of the cruciferous family like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, and brussels sprouts.
There are higher carb veggies that you can incorporate into your diet. Just a little more sparingly than the lower carb ones mixing in higher carb vegetables with lower carb ingredients is a great way to add some flavor and texture without putting your carb count over the limit.
A good rule of thumb to follow is that generally the brighter and more colorful the vegetable the more carbs.
It tends to contain another is that sweeter veggies think corn and carrots also contain more sugar some bright veggies are the exception to these rules.
However, for instance, bell peppers and jalapenos can be used for added texture and flavor in meals. Radishes are a great way to add some crunch to a dish and tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, artichoke, olives, and other medium carb vegetables.
Medium carb veggies are a great way to add in visual appeal and exciting flavors without too many carbs
If we had to come up with a best of the best list of vegetables that list would include broccoli, asparagus mushrooms, zucchini, spinach, avocado, cauliflower, bell peppers, green beans, lettuce, and kale all of these are super versatile.
They give the best nutritional bang for their buck and pack in a ton of flavor.
Let's look at the vegetables we almost never eat very sweet or starchy vegetables like peas, corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, parsnips, and yams are full of sugar and thus full of carbs. We also avoid beets and some kinds of sweet squash. It's like but are not in the pumpkin so don't be afraid to load up on veggies.
What's more important is making sure you have a diverse variety of keto vegetables to round out your keto diet.
Frozen veggies can be an economical and convenient way to go and are often more nutrient-dense than fresh ones because they're flash-frozen at the peak of ripeness.
A keto diet takes commitment and dedication but it's a lot easier when someone is helping you and guiding you throughout the process.
That's why we are here to support you. Check out our online training program.
