Best low-carb, keto friendly vegetables

 I have been a expert contributor at www.fitlandiafitness.com  since early 2016. Together, Fitlandia CEO Christa King and I recorded many webinars and presentations which are available to FitlandiaFitness members. Earlier this year we did a Nutritional Ketosis podcast which you can listen to here. Christa has also posted this article for my readers here. Enjoy.

CEO Fitlandia By Christa King

Looking for veggies with less than 3g of carbs per serving? Check out our list of keto-friendly vegetables here.
 
Recently, I started a ketogenic diet with my good friend and long-time Fitlandia supporter, Dr. Jerome Craig. He’s one of our Expert Practitioners contributing to our website, but he’s also my personal doctor, helping me with sleep and hormonal issues over the last few years.

When he invited me to join his 7-week Ketogenic Intermittent Fasting Group Program, I jumped at the chance. After all, I love experimenting with new dietary programs out of shear fascination with how my body will be impacted by them. And, because I’m still battling my sleep issues I thought, “It couldn’t hurt.”

What shocked me was that for someone as knowledgeable about macros (fats, carbs and proteins) and a die-hard food-journaler (yes, I made that word up!), I knew very little about the carb count of veggies.
 
Sure I knew root veggies such as sweet potatoes, parsnips and carrots were higher on the carb scale, but I didn’t realize that my beloved onions could cost me 11g of carbs. When you’re targeting 20g total for the day, that’s a lot.
 
Without a super-easy reference guide to help, I figured I’d create a nice little chart – all in one place – to help folks on their keto diet make the easiest choices.
 
Please note, I’ve listed total carbs, not net carbs, which can be misleading. For those of you targeting 20g of total carbs, these are the best resources since I don’t list the net carbs below, but total for a more accurate count. If you’re targeting net carbs, then bonus – you can eat more!

Veggies with 3g or Less Carbs

It’s easy math; the more veggies you select from this list, the more you can eat throughout the day. And it’s always better to get your nutrients from the food itself than to rely solely on supplements.

Vegetable

Carb Count

Serving Size

Arugula

Asparagus

Bell Peppers

Broccolini

Celery

Cucumber

Mushrooms

Radishes

Spinach

Swiss Chard

1.5g

2.5g

3g

2g

2.4g

2.9g

3g

2.1g

2.2g

2.7g

2 cups

4 spears

½ medium pepper

1 cup

2 stalks

1 cup

4 large

7 large

2 cups

2 cups

My Continued Journey with Keto

Hopefully, this reference has been helpful for those of you venturing into keto-land. For me personally, it has been just amazing reaping the benefits that come with a fat-fueled day:
 

• Increased energy
• Elevated mood
• Amazing focus
• Decreased cravings
• Managed hunger

 
And I hate to say it, but since I’m a crazy-busy entrepreneur, working 12-14 hour days, I really appreciate not having a nagging hunger throughout the day. Having the additional focus has made me more productive and I can be more mindful about my meals because I don’t end up in a raging battle with dropped blood sugar.
 
I’ve been sleeping better too. I think because I am getting more accomplished in my day, which leads me to be better organized and prepared for the next day, I can rest a little bit easier. I’m also making some assumptions that my body is becoming keto-adapted and therefore knows how to grab some fat for fuel v. waking up from a drop in blood sugar.