People sometimes inaccurately describe our diet as “high protein” when, in fact, a well formulated low carbohydrate diet like ours should include moderate amounts of protein, limited amounts of carbohydrate, and the balance of calories consumed coming from a healthy mix of fats.
Why is that important? Because a diet replete with fresh vegetables helps complement the protein and healthy fats you are consuming with a low glycemic (low sugar) food source that is replete with abundant fiber, vitamins, and micro-nutrients.
In our case, that means consumption of non-starchy vegetables during the Weight Loss Phase and, depending on your individual level of carbohydrate sensitivity, limited amounts of starchy vegetables on the Maintenance Phase.
Non-starchy vegetables are full of:
- Vitamins, like A and C
- Electrolytes, like potassium:
- Help with cellular and muscle function and blood pressure control
- Fiber:
- Helps our digestive tract function well and promotes satiety
- Generally not absorbed into our blood stream and so has minimal, if any, effect on blood sugars, thus, keeps insulin, the principle hormone of fat storage, at bay
Make the produce section your friend (It really is). Or try out your local Farmers Market if you haven’t discovered it already.
In California, we’re truly blessed to be near some of the most fertile agricultural lands in the world, and our farming friends are producing a great variety of delicious and uber-nutritious options of colorful non starchy vegetables like:
- Cucumbers
- Peppers
- Eggplant
- Swiss chard
- Kale
- Mustards
- Bok choy
- Cabbage
- Celery
- Fennel
- Leeks
- Lettuces & spinach
- Broccoli
- Snap peas
- Green beans, and on and on
Eat these veggies raw as snacks, steamed, or sautéed. To keep things simple, consider prepping and even cooking 3-4 days-worth on a Sunday after shopping for the week so that you have an easy and super nutritious “go to” option to make pursuit of a well-balanced low carbohydrate diet effortlessly achievable.
Also, consider a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) “box” of fresh produce. These boxes can be more expensive and there will be preparation involved but, if you find a good CSA (and some are better than others), the quality of local produce delivered will more than justify the expense.
Benefits of CSA Boxes:
- Takes the thinking out of your vegetable shopping
- Facilitates your dietary experimentation with vegetables you might have never considered
- More variety to your meals
- Puts you in touch with the wonders and abundance of our land and the labors of our small farmers
One downside of CSA boxes for those in the Weight Loss Phase patients is the delivery of starchy root vegetables and squash and the like. Perhaps those options will work for other members of your family or request non-starchy options.
In summary, non-starchy vegetables are an essential and delicious component of a well-designed low carbohydrate diet, with an abundance of great options to consider.
We are proud to offer you a proven and medically supervised weight loss solution based on Real Science, Real Food, & Real Results. Start your JumpstartMD weight loss journey today at any of our Bay Area locations. You can lose up to 10lbs in your first month.
