Different types of vegetables
Vegetables can be broadly classified into four categories:
1. Above-ground vegetables: greens (spinach, lettuce, chard, etcetera), cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, et cetera), bulbs (onions, garlic) and fungi (mushrooms).
2. Below-ground/root/starchy vegetables: beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, (swede), turnip, yams, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc.
3. Gourds: pumpkins, hard-shelled squashes and other winter squashes.
4. Technically fruits but treated like vegetables: avocados, olives, bell peppers, eggplant/aubergine, tomatoes and zucchini/courgette. Unlike other fruits, these aren’t sweet and are often prepared and consumed with other vegetables. Avocados and olives are unique among fruits and vegetables because most of their calories come from fat rather than sugar or starch.
Nutritional composition of vegetables
Above-ground vegetables are low carb/keto-friendly foods that provide 5 or fewer grams of net carbs per 100-gram (3.5-ounce) serving. Not so for the root and starchy vegetables, however, which range from 6 to 17 grams of net carbs per serving. Vegetables usually contain moderate to high amounts of fibre, especially avocado — which also happens to be among the lowest in net carbs.
Overall, vegetables are more nutrient-dense than fruits, although their vitamin and mineral content can also be affected by factors like growing and storage conditions. Most veggies are good to excellent sources of potassium, and bell peppers and cruciferous vegetables are also high in vitamin C.
Low-carb vegetables – read more about the best and the worst here
With dinner, Eddie and I enjoyed a mix of vegetables – broccoli, cauliflower, carrots and peas, followed with some blueberries and cream for dessert 😋
