SUMMARY of (macro) Food-Content

of VEGETABLES

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Introduction:

For the moment, let us consider vegetables without including "beans and legumes", which are relatively high in proteins compared to the other (green, red, yellow, white, etc.) vegetables. Then ...

In the vegetables food-category, (white) potatoes and sweet potatoes (orange potatoes) are the "badest guys" in the vegetable category. This is because of their content of "net-carbs" (starches and sugars = pre-pre-fats and pre-fats). (Starches are long chains of sugars, and they are broken down into sugars in the human body within a few hours of ingestion.)

The 'net-carbs' (sugars and starches) are "bad guys" that you should avoid, as much as possible, when trying to lose weight and/or reduce symptoms of diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

The next vegetables, in content of starches and sugars, are corn, carrots, and peas.

Much lower in starch-and-sugar content are vegetables like broccoli and spinach and tomatoes and peppers.

    Let's not use vague 'carbs' terminology. Instead of using the rather vague term "high carb" when we mean "high-starch" or "high-sugar", we will use the terms "starch" or "sugar" or "sugar-and-starch" INSTEAD OF "carb". There are a lot of good things in high-carb foods (such as fiber and micro-nutrients) --- so when we use the term "carb" in a negative way, we want to make it clear that we are actually referring to the STARCH or SUGAR in the high-carbohydrate food.

Unlike "high-carb" (high-sugar) "milk" chocolates and "soft" drinks, starchy vegetables like corn, carrots, and peas have many redeeming qualities --- like fiber, vitamins, minerals, and various other "co-factors" (many of whose benefits are not fully understood yet).

So let us remember that, when someone says corn or carrots or peas are 'high-carb', they are still nowhere near as 'high-carb' as things like milk-chocolates and sugar-water drinks.

That is, corn, carrots, and peas are much less "intense" in terms of sugar content than are "milk" chocolates and "soft drinks".

Here is an overview of the "intensity" (percent) of starch-and-sugar ("pre-fats") in some of the foods mentioned above.

  • sweet potatoes - about 25% or more
  • white potatoes - about 25%
  • corn - about 8%
  • carrots - about 6%
  • peas - about 5%
  • broccoli - about 2%
  • spinach - about 2%
  • tomatoes - about 2%
  • milk chocolate - about 80% sugar
  • "soft" drinks - about 15% sugar (and the water is quickly absorbed and eliminated by the body --- so these sugar-water drinks are more like 90%-plus sugar)

Typically the fat-content of non-bean-or-legume vegetables is less than 1%, and the protein-content is typically much less than 5% (except for some vegetables like green peas and lima beans, which might actually be classified in the Beans-Legumes food category).

Here is an overview of the "intensity" (percent) of proteins and fats in some beans and legumes. Note that they have a much higher content of protein than most (other) vegetables.

  • lentils - about 25% proteins and less than 1% fats
  • soy beans - about 13% proteins and about 7% fats
  • garbanzo beans (chickpeas) - about 6% proteins and about 3% fats
  • black beans - about 9% proteins and about 1% fats
  • lima beans - about 9% proteins and about 0.5% fats
  • green peas - about 8% proteins and about 0.5% fats
Some diet strategies with vegetables :

Of the 4 main "Nutrition Facts" food components (proteins, fats, starch-and-sugar, fiber), vegetables are heavy in the last two --- and very low in proteins and fats compared to such food categories as BEANS-and-LEGUMES or NUTS-and-SEEDS or MEAT-and-EGGS or DAIRY-PRODUCTS or OILS-and-FATS.

So to get your healthy proteins and fats, you will want to combine vegetables with foods from these other categories.

Although corn, carrots, and peas are sometimes painted as vegetable bad-guys, they are certainly much more desirable as a health food than milk chocolates and soft drinks --- and much more desirable than potatoes or sweet potatoes.

Among the vegetables, it is a good idea to avoid (super-starchy) potatoes. But, when you get bored with broccoli and spinach, remember to try carrots, peas, and corn (even though the latter is the source of the dangerous "high fructose corn syrup"). They have more nutrients and fewer net-carbs than potatoes (and fewer than corn syrup).

NOTE: Some of the percent figures above will be adjusted as better data becomes available from various sources --- such as from "Nutrition Facts" labels and from more "gram-counter" books.

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Page was created 2006 Jun 02. Changed formatting 2012 May 06.