Year Round Veggies and Fruits: What are your favorites low glycemic choices?

[misstransformer]

My eating habits were pretty bad, so fresh fruits and veggies is new territory for me. lol Other than an occasional banana, I'd like to avoid starchy vegetables and fruits, such as white potatos, corn, pineapples, etc. I feel better when I eat the above in small amounts. What are some of your favorite low glycemic veggies(preferably green), and fruits? Also, I'm open to any tips others may have. Thanks, Miss T

[Miranda]

broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, cabbage, peppers, lettuce, cauliflower, kale etc. the possibilities are endless.

carrots, beets and other roots tend to be higher in carbs.

PS potatoes and corn aren't vegetables

[misstransformer]

Originally Posted by Miranda

broccoli, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, cabbage, peppers, lettuce, cauliflower, kale etc. the possibilities are endless.

carrots, beets and other roots tend to be higher in carbs.

PS potatoes and corn aren't vegetables

Girl, teach me this morning. lol What are potatos and corn? Depending on the answer, that may explain why they KNOCK ME OUT soon after eating them, and I feel sluggish the rest of the day.

[misstransformer]

I found the information below, which says corn is actually a cereal grain. I'm surprised it's often referred to as a vegetable.

Corn

http://allergies.about.com/od/foodal...ornallergy.htm

Also, white and/or russett potatos(which make me feel sleepy) are classified as "tuber vegetables". So I'm not sure about this one.

http://www.recipetips.com/kitchen-ti...t-Potatoes.asp

I need to google yams vs white potatos, because yams don't seem to bother me, and I'd like to know why. In the mean time, I'm going to try a few of the small red potatos. According to the site below, they have less starch, so I may be able to eat those without any problems.

http://www.potatoes.com/RecipesAndCo...rietiesAndUses

[Miranda]

corn is a grain.

i'm not sure whether potato is a 'true' veggie.
it can be classified as a 'fruit' or 'root'.

[misstransformer]

Originally Posted by Miranda

corn is a grain.

i'm not sure whether potato is a 'true' veggie.
it can be classified as a 'fruit' or 'root'.

I can understand being a root, because of the way it's grown, but I've never heard a potato called a fruit. I'll check it out. Thanks Miranda

[Miranda]

Originally Posted by misstransformer

I can understand being a root, because of the way it's grown, but I've never heard a potato called a fruit.

potatoes, tomatoes and peppers are the same family. technically, they are classified as 'fruits'.

The term fruit has different meanings depending on context. In botany, a fruit is the ripened ovary - together with seeds - of a flowering plant. In many species, the fruit incorporates the ripened ovary and surrounding tissues. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants disseminate seeds.[1] In cuisine, when discussing fruit as food, the term usually refers to those plant fruits that are sweet and fleshy, examples of which include plums, apples and oranges. However, a great many common vegetables, as well as nuts and grains, are the fruit of the plant species they come from.

plenty to send the mind spinning

[misstransformer]

Originally Posted by Miranda

plenty to send the mind spinning

Oh yea, especially when you're a former junk food junkie. lol

[SunnyD902]

As for fruits berries (raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries) are all low to moderate on the GI and full of antioxidants. Apples, kiwis, oranges, grapes, peaches, cherries and pears are also low to moderate.

[empresscat]

Yams or sweet potatoes have a lower glycemic impact, and are therefore popular with people on bodybuilding diets. They still fall in the category of starchy carbs, but are a good choice.

My favorite veggies:
fresh or frozen - spinach, brussels sprouts, broccoli, green beans (also like these canned), mustard greens, cauliflower

fresh - peppers of all kinds, radishes, eggplant, carrots, greens of all kinds (collards, chard, kale, raddichio, lettuces)


Fruits:
fresh or frozen - blueberries, cherries (my favorite! http://www.weightlossforall.com/benefits-cherry.htm ), strawberries, peaches

fresh - apples (several varieties), pears, kiwi, grapes, grapefruit


Also keep beans in mind for carbohydrates. Throw 'em in a salad or with some ground turkey, in a wrap, in a soup or chili, or as a side. Black beans, pintos, blackeyed peas, garbanzos, butter beans, etc

[moon girl]

The GI might be why certain foods make you feel sluggish. I really like http://www.glycemicindex.com/ to look up GI (and GL) values. This might help you make choices.

As for your original question, I eat just about any fruits/vegetables, although some things like bananas I tend to eat only pre/post workout. IMO eating a lot of different fruits and veggies is most beneficial (different nutrients, stops me from getting sick of / bored with eating veggies) so I try not to get the same thing every time I go shopping. I try to be 'adventurous' sometimes and buy something I've never tried (or even heard of). I once even bought a durian (nicknamed "stinky fruit") - and that was a bad idea, lol. They've got that nickname for a reason

My choices also *highly* depend on the prices. For example, I don't buy fresh strawberries / blueberries / cherries unless they're in season, and I ate a LOT of asparagus when it was cheap a few months ago.

Some of my favorites:
Veggies: spinach, mixed greens, asparagus, broccoli, peppers, carrots, celery
Fruits: any type of berries, apples, cherries, bananas

[nockowt1]

Favorite fruits: All berries (I eat these in my oatmeal, yogurt, and cottage cheese), fresh pineapple, golden delicious apples (have to eat with almond or cashew butter), and watermelon

Favorite vegetables: Avocado, tomatoes, bell peppers (prefer red, yellow, and orange), baby carrots (also eat with almond or cashew butter), broccoli (I eat this everyday), tomatoes(vine ripened or roma), mushrooms (if you want to consider it a vegetable), potatoes (of all kinds), and fresh spinach

[misstransformer]

Thanks SunnyD902, EmpressCat, MoonGirl, and Kevin for all the suggestions. Also, Moongirl, I'm feeling you on the prices. lol

[SumthinOrNuthin]

If white potatoes leave you feeling wiped out an hour later then you're probably a bit carb-sensitive. White potatoes are way up high on the glycemic index, almost up there with sugar I believe. Yams and sweet potatoes will do far better for you as will any other low-glycemic carbs

Fave seasonal fruit - rhubarb. A winner every time for me. Oh, and cherries

[misstransformer]

Originally Posted by SumthinOrNuthin

If white potatoes leave you feeling wiped out an hour later then you're probably a bit carb-sensitive. White potatoes are way up high on the glycemic index, almost up there with sugar I believe. Yams and sweet potatoes will do far better for you as will any other low-glycemic carbs

Fave seasonal fruit - rhubarb. A winner every time for me. Oh, and cherries

Yea, those white potatos make me feel like I can barely keep my eyes open. I ate so much in the past, I was never able to pinpoint which foods affected in certain ways. Now it makes sense why I had no energy and other problems. Thanks everyone for explaining about the yams. I can deal with those.