Peas & Carrots - Ok for Diabetics? - Question of the Week

A reader has posed the following question for response on this blog: "Is it ok to eat peas & carrots if you have diabetes? I heard to avoid those two veggies."

As long as you watch your portions and are aware of how much carbohydrate is in both peas and carrots, there is no need to avoid either one.

Despite being a vegetable, peas are considered starchy and contain more carbohydrates than many other vegetables. A 1/2 cup of peas contains 15 grams of carbohydrate. Corn, canned pumpkin, yams, plantains, parsnips, acorn/butternut squash, and potatoes are other examples such as this.

Carrots are not considered a starchy vegetable and therefore one serving contains approximately 25 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates for 1 cup raw or 1/2 cup cooked. Other vegetables in this "non-starchy" vegetable category are spinach, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower.

As long as you have this information there is no need to avoid any vegetables.


More information:

Here is a list of other "non-starchy" vegetables:
* Amaranth
* Artichoke
* Artichoke hearts
* Asparagus
* Bamboo shoots
* Beans: green, Italian, wax
* Bean sprouts
* Beets
* Broccoli
* Brussels sprouts
* Cabbage: bok choy, Chinese, green
* Carrots
* Cauliflower
* Celery
* Cucumber
* Eggplant
* Green onions or scallions
* Greens: collard, kale, mustard, turnip
* Leeks
* Mixed vegetables without corn, peas or pasta
* Mung bean sprouts
* Mushrooms
* Okra
* Onions
* Peppers, all varieties
* Radishes
* Soybean sprouts
* Spinach
* Summer squash
* Swiss chard
* Tomato: raw, canned, sauce, juice
* Turnips
* Water chestnuts
* Zucchini

For more information, you can visit the following link from the American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org/food-and-fitness/food/what-can-i-eat/non-starchy-vegetables.html> and the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diabetes-diet/DA00069.