When you started out on your journey to lose weight, the first thing you likely did was stock up on fruits and vegetables.
However, what many people are unaware of is that not all vegetables are created equally and some vegetables can actually ruin the effort you are putting into your weight loss journey.
Starchy vegetables are high in carbohydrates and can be a rich energy source. However, eating these vegetables in large quantities can lead to weight gain if the stored energy is not used through exercise or other activity as the energy will be converted into fat.
Starchy vegetables aren’t necessarily bad foods, they are filling, nutritious and healthy when they are consumed in the right amounts.
Today, we will take a look at five starchy vegetables that are healthy but do contain high amounts of carbohydrates in a one cup portion.
Portion Sizes
While the recommended serving of vegetables for a meal is half a cup, many people don’t know what half of a cup looks like and end up consuming more than what is recommended. As a guide, half a cup is equal to about the size of a cupped palm, whereas one cup is about the same size as a fist.
Starchy Vegetables to Moderate
- Green Peas – One cup of raw green peas is about 30 grams of carbohydrates. This translates to 20% of your carbohydrate intake if you are consuming 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, and 30% if you are consuming 100 grams of carbohydrates per day.
- Parsnips – One cup of boiled, drained parsnips, served with salt is about 26 grams of carbohydrates. This translates to 17% of your carbohydrate intake if you are consuming 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, and 26% if you are consuming 100 grams of carbohydrates per day.
- Yams – One cup of cubed yams boiled and drained without salt, or baked without salt is 37g of carbohydrates. This is equivalent to 25% of your carbohydrate intake if you are consuming 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, and 37% if you are consuming 100 grams of carbohydrates per day.
- Corn – One cup of corn boiled and drained without salt contains 41 grams of carbohydrates. This equals 27% of your carbohydrate intake if you are consuming 150 grams of carbohydrates per day, and 41% if you are consuming 100 grams of carbohydrates per day.
- Black Beans – These beans are considered to be one of the world’s healthiest foods. It makes sense that you would choose these as a food while you are trying to lose weight. However, one cup of black beans, boiled, drained and without salt contains 41 grams of carbohydrates which is the same amount found in corn.
Think Ratio of Carbs to Portion Size
Considering the average person trying to lose weight should be consuming only 100-150 grams of carbohydrates per day in order to lose weight, and there are carbohydrates in so many foods, these high levels of carbs in such a small amount of vegetables are really a problem.
This is especially true when you consider that there are carbohydrates in almost everything we eat which means that our carbohydrate count can increase really fast.
If you are trying to lose weight, it is very important that you keep track of what you are eating to make sure that you aren’t overdoing it with any aspect of your nutrition.
Carbohydrates are an important part of your diet in order to get energy, but can easily be converted into fat and undo your weight loss efforts if it is not tracked and accounted for. Next time you stock up your fridge with fruits and vegetables, reach for those that are low in starch and carbohydrates.
