Aug 8, Vegetables & their seasons

Vegetables is one half of the Fruit and Veg food group which makes 33% of a balanced diet.

Diabetics are much safer with the veg section of fruit and veg. Whilst there are some sweet veg around, they aren't as common as the sweet fruits.

One of the reasons why you're supposed to eat fruit and veg, is to get a good mix of naturally sourced nutrients. These are important for diabetic dieting as it helps keep your diabetes under control & reduce your symptoms.

So it is essential to get a good mix.

Apart from salads, veg tends to be cooked. Unfortunately cooking can reduce the nutrients in the veg dramatically.

So what's the best way to eat from the vegetables food group?

Why not check out the Vegetables Video Recipes on the Healthy recipes page for an easy to follow guide on cooking healthy foods for diabetics:

Click Here and Disover the Diabetic Recipes on the Healthy Recipes Page.

When's the best time to buy Vegetables?

The best vegetables (taste and health wise) are FRESH, LOCAL & IN SEASON.

So here is a list of vegetables and their general seasons to help you buy fresh, seasonal veg:

NOTE - Some vegetables may appear more than twice if they grow and ripen in more than one season. Often this happens when there are several different varieties of the same vegetable.

-Broad Beans -Sprouting broccoli -Green Cabbage -New carrots -Cauliflower
-Spring onions -Peas -Radishes -Spinach -Watercress -Asparagus -Lettuce -Onions -Greens-Beetroot -Broad beans - Carrots -French beans -Runner beans -Courgettes
-Cucumber -lettuce -Mangetouts -Peas -New potatoes -Radishes -Spinach
-Tomatoes -Bell Peppers -Eggplant -Okra -Onions
-Corn on the Cob-Sprouting broccoli -Green, Red & White Cabbage -Cauliflower -Celery
-Corn on the cob -Leeks -Marrows -Spinach -Tomatoes -Watercress -Cucumbers -Greens -Squash -Bell Peppers -Okra-Broccoli -Brussels Sprouts -Green, Red & White Cabbage -Celery -Leeks
-Parsnips -Swedes -Beets -Carrots -Sweet Potatoes
-Winter Squash

Remember, whilst the 5 a day plan is useful, don't follow it religiously. Just like the grains group, fruit and veg have to form a third (roughly 33%) of your daily diet.

And it is more important to have a balanced diet than an unbalanced one with your 5 a day!

Try combining fruit and veg with your meals at home and everywhere you go.

Return from Vegetables to Food Groups.

Why Vegetables Are Essential in a Diabetic's Diet

Eating vegetables is healthy. Vegetables are rich sources of several nutrients that are essential to our bodies' health and overall well-being. For diabetics, vegetables are extra special. Not only are they rich sources of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, they also contain only a small amount of carbohydrates.

Less carbohydrates are good for diabetics because carbohydrates are converted into sugar during digestion. The more carbohydrates you eat, the more sugar your body produces. Diabetics should watch their sugar level. Too much sugar in the blood and a person with diabetes will be at risk. By substituting carbohydrate-rich foods with vegetables in their meal, diabetics can have a healthier meal and will take in less sugar too. They should make sure though that they are not losing a good source of another nutrient by substituting often. It's best that diabetics maintain a well-balanced diet to keep sugar levels normal and still have enough source for other nutrients that the body needs.

Expert nutritionists insist that vegetables are best when eaten fresh and raw, if possible. Vegetables can also be lightly steamed, roasted, or even grilled, though. Diabetics should avoid canned vegetables with lots of sodium and vegetables cooked with too much oil, butter, cheese, or sauces with lots of sodium. If you can't get them fresh, frozen vegetables are good alternatives. They can be slightly steamed before eating.

Vegetables are also rich in fibers. Fibers help in slowing the process of turning carbohydrates to sugar, a quality that can help prevent the sudden rise of sugar levels in the body. They are also more filling because the fibers they contain are sometimes only partially soluble, thus they retain their volume even when inside the stomach. This helps prevent overeating which can lead to obesity, another serious condition that a diabetic must certainly avoid. By staying intact inside the body, fibers from vegetables also help in bowel movement and are proven to prevent constipation.

Diabetics must be vigilant in preventing their bodies' sugar level rising over the acceptable levels. Vegetables can help them in this area in several ways. As an added benefit, vegetables are naturally rich in much-needed vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients, and they contain little carbohydrates which means less sugar in the blood. Vegetables should be a regular part of a diabetic's meal. In fact, most cookbooks that are written specifically for diabetics focus on vegetables, as well as on fruits.