Friendly Veggies!

FRIENDLY VEGGIES

eat as many of these as you like - they shouldn't affect your points, exchanges, calorie intake, blood sugar, etc.

Arugula * Asparagus * Beans (Green + Waxed) * Bell Peppers (1 pepper) * Bok Choy * Broccoli * Broccoli Raab * Brussels Sprouts * Cabbage * Carrots * Cauliflower * Celeriac * Celery * Chard * Chayote * Cucumber * Daikon * Eggplant * Endive * Fennel * Hearts of Palm * Jicama * Kale * Leeks (1) * Kohlrabi * Lettuce * Mushrooms * Okra * Onion * Pumpkin * Pumpkin Puree (1 cup) * Radicchio * Radishes * Rhubarb * Rutabagas * Spinach * Summer Squash * Tomatillo * Tomatoes * Turnips * Zucchini * Winter Squash (except butternut)

CAREFUL VEGGIES

based on a 1/2 cup serving, these are 1 point/exchange (approximately 60 calories) and will affect your blood sugar slightly

Artichokes (1 cup) * Beans (Kidney, Lima, Cannellini) * Corn * Parsnips * Peas (green) * Potatoes (I've been told that the smaller potatoes are better because your getting more of the skins and more of the fibre) * Snow Peas (1 cup) * Sugar Snap Peas (1 cup) * Winter Squash (butternut squash - 1 cup)

DANGER VEGGIES

based on a 1/2 cup serving, these are 2 points/exchanges (approximately 120 calories) and will affect your blood sugar more

Beans (Black, Edamame, Garbanzo, Navy, Pinto, White) * Sweet Potatoes * Yams

I make soups with vegetable broth and the friendly veggies and season it with spices (like curry spice (not sauce) or tamari + gluten free schezuan sauce) and it doesn't affect my blood sugars. Sometimes I puree it and sometimes I don't. Another way I do soups is to use miso paste (4 tsp is one point/exchange) as a base and throw in green onions, garlic, mushrooms, grated carrot, seaweed - whatever you feel like!

Salads with the friendly veggies are good too and I just use lemon juice or different vinegars for seasoning or sometimes I even throw in some herbs!

Stir fries with friendly veggies are also good - just use vegetable broth instead of oil to "fry". One more trick - using nori seaweed (1/2 a square sheet) and making cones with sauteed friendly veggies and different spices!

Be careful with sauces - they have all kinds of hidden calories/points/exchanges. The dry spices are a better way to go or things like vinegars, soya sauce, tamari, or gluten free schezuan.