Your mother was right: You really should eat more vegetables. The vast majority of vegetables provide plenty of vitamins and minerals along with a good dose of fiber and very few calories. As you can see, most vegetables even have a low-glycemic load (with a few exceptions).
You can definitely be creative in including more vegetables in your diet. Try preparing omelets with leftover cooked vegetables or whipping up vegetable-based soups for lunch. Making veggies a part of every meal is really easier than you may think.
| Food Type | Portion Size | Glycemic Load |
|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | 1/2 cup | Low |
| Baked potato | 5 ounces | High |
| Black olives | 5 olives | Low |
| Broccoli | 1 cup | Low |
| Canned pumpkin | 3 ounces | Low |
| Carrots | 1 medium carrot | Low |
| Cauliflower | 3/4 cup | Low |
| Celery | 2 stalks | Low |
| Cherry tomatoes | 5 tomatoes | Low |
| Enchilada sauce | 1/4 cup | Low |
| Green cabbage | 1 cup | Low |
| Green chiles | 1 chile | Low |
| Green onions | 2 onions | Low |
| Instant mashed potatoes | 1/2 cup | Medium |
| Italian canned tomatoes | 1/2 cup | Low |
| Kale | 1 cup | Low |
| Lettuce | 1 cup | Low |
| New potatoes | 4 small potatoes | Medium |
| Onions | 1/2 medium onion | Low |
| Orange bell peppers | 3 ounces | Low |
| Parsnips | 1/2 cup | Medium |
| Peas | 1/2 cup | Low |
| Portobello mushrooms | 1/2 cup | Low |
| Red bell peppers | 3 ounces | Low |
| Red skin potatoes, boiled or mashed | 5 ounces | Medium |
| Roasted red peppers (from a jar) | 1/4 cup | Low |
| Salsa | 2 tablespoons | Low |
| Shiitake mushrooms | 3 small mushrooms | Low |
| Snow peas | 1 cup | Low |
| Spaghetti sauce | 1 cup | Medium |
| Spinach | 1 cup | Low |
| Sun-dried tomatoes | 1 cup | Low |
| Sweet corn | 1/2 cup | Medium |
| Sweet pickle relish | 1 tablespoon | Low |
| Sweet potato | 1 small | Medium |
| Tomatoes | 1 tomato | Low |
| Yam | 1 small | Medium |
| Yellow bell peppers | 3 ounces | Low |
| Zucchini | 1/2 cup | Low |