8/29/2018 Low-Carb Vegetables - Visual Guide to the Best and Worst - Diet Doctor
Low-carb vegetables – the best and the worst
What low-carb vegetables are good? There’s a very simple rule:
Vegetables growing above ground are low carb and can be eaten freely.
Vegetables growing below ground contain more carbs, so you’ll have to be more careful with them
(especially potatoes).
Like any rule it is not perfect, so have a look below.
Above ground
All numbers are net carbs per 100 grams (3½ ounces). 1
Below ground
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All numbers represent percent of net carbohydrates. 2 This means that a hundred grams (3½ ounces) – the
weight of an average tomato – of any vegetable will contain this number of grams of carbs.
E.g. an average tomato has about 3 grams of carbs. A whole cauliflower head weighs a lot more though, perhaps
ten times more, and may thus contain about ten times 4 grams, i.e. 40 grams of carbs.
Please note the difference between above-ground and below-ground vegetables.
Vegetables with less than 5 percent carbs may be eaten relatively freely. If you’re on a not-too-strict low-carb diet
(more than 20 grams per day), you can probably eat all you want of all these low-carb vegetables.
If you’re on a keto low-carb diet (below 20 grams a day), you may need to be a bit careful with some of the
vegetables. You should probably be especially careful with peppers or tomatoes – these carbs quickly add up
towards the 20 grams-a-day limit. Just one medium-sized pepper may contain 6-8 grams of digestible carbs.
Top 10 low-carb vegetables
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Here are the ten greatest low-carb vegetables, tasty and nutritious but with very few carbs. They’re sorted by how
popular and useful they are in low-carb cooking. I Understand
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All numbers are net carbs per 100 grams (3½ ounces). 3
1. Cauliflower – 4 g. The most classic and iconic of all low-carb vegetables. The base of cauliflower rice and
cauliflower mash. Check out our top 18 cauliflower recipes
2. Cabbage – 3 g. Another great low-carb vegetable. Who doesn’t love butter-fried green cabbage or the truly
addictive Asian cabbage stir-fry? For more, here are our top 21 cabbage recipes
3. Avocado – 2 g. Not just low carb, but also full of nutritious fat. Avocado can be eaten in all kinds of ways,
including on its own, perhaps with some mayonnaise, or it can be used to make guacamole. But that’s just
the start, here are more awesome avocado recipes
4. Broccoli – 4 g. Another great option that can replace pasta, rice or potatoes. Just fry it in butter or add some
cheese for great-tasting side dishes. More recipes
5. Zucchini – 3 g. Try our zucchini fries or zucchini chips. Zucchini can also be used to make low-carb pasta,
like in this low-carbonara. More recipes
6. Spinach – 1 g. An extremely low carb vegetable, spinach is full of vitamins and minerals and can be used in
dozens of ways. It pairs beautifully with eggs, such as in our popular frittata. Check out that spinach recipe,
and and many more
7. Asparagus – 2 g. Revered as both a food and medicine – and aphrodisiac – by the ancient Egyptians,
Greeks and Romans up to medieval times, asparagus is one of the world’s oldest cultivated vegetables.
Nutritious and delicious! Try it wrapped with prosciutto and grilled, or in other tasty recipes
8. Kale – 4 g. Hardier than spinach, less watery, but just as nutritious, kale can stand up to mincing, sautéing,
baking, and much more. Cut into ribbons, it makes a great noodle substitute for zesty sauces. Recipes
9. Green beans – 4 g. Frenched, diced and tossed in a salad, fricasseed and more, green beans taste great
especially with added fats like butter, an olive-oil vinaigrette, or bacon. Recipes
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10. Brussels sprouts – 5 g. Nutty, filling and nutritious, they are especially good roasted with olive oil and garlic,
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or with bacon. Or steam and serve with a cheese cream sauce. Recipes
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8/29/2018 Low-Carb Vegetables - Visual Guide to the Best and Worst - Diet Doctor
Vegetable sticks and dip
Numbers are digestible carbs per 100 grams (3½ ounces).
Vegetable sticks are relatively low carb, except for carrots that have slightly more carbs.
Dip: Add cream cheese or any really low-carb and high-fat dip sauce. Here are our top recipes:
Keto blue-cheese dressing 3 g Keto Ranch dip 1 g Butte
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Peas, corn, beans, lentils, quinoa
Peas, corn, beans, lentils and quinoa are not vegetables and contain more carbohydrates than vegetables. Be
careful with them on a strict low-carb diet, eating them in very small amounts or not at all.
Most of these plant foods are not classified as vegetables but as grains or legumes. They are not good low-carb
options.
Grains and pure sugar
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Avoid this as much as possible when on a low-carb diet. Whole-grain products are just less bad – it’s like cigarettes
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8/29/2018 Low-Carb Vegetables - Visual Guide to the Best and Worst - Diet Doctor
Bread, pasta, rice, cookies etc. are not vegetables, and they are full of carbohydrates.
High fructose corn syrup – the sugary nutrient in soda – comes from plants (corn), but it is not a vegetable and it
most certainly is not low carb.
Low-carb vegetable recipes
Top cauliflower recipes
Cauliflower may be the most popular low-carb vegetable of all. Here are our top cauliflower recipes:
Keto chicken casserole 6 g Low-carb cauliflower hash browns 5 g Brocc
Top cabbage recipes
Cabbage is another very versatile low-carb vegetable. Here are our top cabbage recipes:
Keto Asian cabbage stir-fry 10 g Coleslaw 3 g Keto h
sauce
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Food for thought
Q&A
Here are a few common question about low-carb vegetables. For all kinds of questions, have a look at our full low-
carb FAQ.
Can you eat tomatoes on a low-carb diet?
Yes. Tomatoes contain about 3 grams of net carbs per 100 grams (about 6 grams per cup). But if you’re eating a
strict keto low-carb diet (below 20 grams per day) it’s worth keeping in mind that the carbs do add up, and you can
only eat a moderate amount of tomatoes to stay under that limit.
Are cucumbers low in carbs?
Cucumbers have about 3 grams of net carbs per 100 grams, so they are fairly low carb – as you can see in the
visual guide above. You can absolutely eat cucumber on a low-carb diet.
Are carrots OK on low carb?
Carrots contain about 7 grams of net carbs per 100 grams. On a strict low-carb diet (below 20 grams per day) you
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Full low-carb diet FAQ
Visual low-carb guides
Fruits Nuts Alcohol
Fats & sauces Snacks Drinks
How many carbs? Sweeteners
Meal plans
Get lots of weekly low-carb meal plans, complete with shopping lists and everything, with our premium meal planner
tool (free trial).
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Fri Sat Sun
More
A low-carb diet for beginners Low-carb foods
14-day low-carb diet meal plan
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1. Net carbs = digestible carbs, i.e. total carbs minus fiber. ↩
2. Net carbs = digestible carbs, i.e. total carbs minus fiber. ↩
3. Net carbs = digestible carbs, i.e. total carbs minus fiber. ↩
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