Along with asparagus, artichokes are one of my favorite vegetables. Artichokes are flowers of a type of thistle that have been eaten for quite some time and were even treated as a delicacy in ancient Rome.

Artichokes aren’t easily eaten. The heart, or meatiest part of the vegetable, is covered by the flowerets that form the choke. These are inedible and must be avoided. Around the heart and choke are many layers of bracts, like stiff leaves, that contain less and less edible material the further from the center they are. It’s something of an event to eat a whole one, but you can buy canned hearts if you are impatient.

All the work of getting to the heart is worth it for low-carb dieters. Not just because it is delicious, but because artichokes have a negligible glycemic index and effective carb count. This is yet another veggie that you should eat whenever you like.

N: Negligible

Sources:
CalorieKing
David Mendosa

Flowers are the parts of plants that aid in reproduction by attracting pollinating animals. Most people are surprised at the large role flowers play in their diets simply because most of the commonly eaten flowers aren’t bright and colorful. Broccoli, cauliflower, and artichoke can all be characterized by their dull appearance (fortunately they still taste delicious). This is because these flowers are either stunted in their growth or we eat them before they bloom. Although we do eat some brightly-colored flowers, they are mostly used as garnishes. Be sure to subscribe to the blog above so you can learn more about how this important group of vegetables can fit in your healthy low carb diet.

The undisputed kings of vegetable land.

It may sound like I’m overselling them, but in fact I cannot say enough about this particular group of veggies. They are almost always the most prominent part of a plant and our species has undoubtedly made leaves a major part of our diets for a long, long time. The dark, leafy greens in particular are known as nutritional powerhouses, providing a great source of calcium for those who are lactose intolerant. In case my gushing isn’t enough to convince you, I believe that leaves should be eaten every day in large quantities. Click on the different groups below and learn more about these essential additions to your diet.

The Lettuce Family: Lettuces, Chicories, Dandelion Greens
The Cabbage Family: Cabbage, Kale, Brussels Sprouts, and Others
Spinach and Chard
Miscellaneous Leafy Greens

I’m gonna make this a short one this week, folks. Raw eggs, Chinese food and fortified junk food. All you need is a bottle of red and a bottle of white and you got yourself a party!

Mark Sisson takes a look at raw eggs.

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Looking to eat healthier? The obvious answer must be fortifying your junk food!

Let’s take a look at some leaves that don’t fit into the lettuce, cabbage, and spinach groups. Grape leaves are best known as the wrapper for Greek dolmades, a stuffed dish of vegetables. Lamb’s lettuce and purslane are both relatively obscure leaves that are sometimes added to salads. Like all other leaves, these have a negligible amount of carbs and glycemic index. In other words: chow down. All leaves are not only safe for a healthy low carb diets, they are highly recommended!

N: Negligible

Sources:
CalorieKing
David Mendosa

Spinach and chard come from related species of plants that flourish during the warmer months, as opposed to the leaves of the cabbage family, which are in season during the winter.

Spinach is one of those vegetables, along with broccoli, that seems to have an awful reputation among children. Too bad. It is an excellent source of so many vitamins and minerals that it would bore you to list each and every one of them here. It was Catherine di Medici’s favorite veggie, and to this day ordering something “a la Florentine” means to serve it on a bed of spinach. (di Medici was from Florence, Italy.)

Swiss chard, despite its name, is originally from the Mediterranean. Like spinach, the nutrient density of these leaves cannot be overstated.

As with all other greens, spinach and chard are very low in carbs and have a negligible glycemic index. Dark, leafy greens should be a daily part of everyone’s diet, and these two are your best choices for spring and summer.

N: Negligible

Sources:
CalorieKing
David Mendosa

This group of leaves has a bit more, let’s say, personality than the lettuces.

Members of the cabbage family tend to have stronger and more characteristic flavors than those from the lettuce family due to the glucosinolates and isothiocyanates found in them. These compounds give the leaves their often bitter taste. Chopping them only makes the flavor stronger, as it causes a chemical reaction that forms them in the first place.

Cabbage, kale, collards, and brussels sprouts all are derived from the wild cabbage, which was cultivated more than 2,000 years ago in the Mediterranean. This is the same plant which also gives us broccoli and cauliflower. You certainly can’t say that the wild cabbage was an underachiever! Other less common cabbage lettuces include arugula, cress, and mustard greens.

Asia is also known for it’s own cabbage vegetables, including bok choy and napa. These are both direct descendants of Brassica Rapa, one of the oldest cultivated plants and also the precursor to turnips.

As with all other leaves, these are very low in carbs and have a negligible glycemic index and glycemic load. The addition of powerful vitamins and minerals means that this is a group of veggies that you should be eating each and every day.

N: Negligible

Sources:
CalorieKing
David Mendosa

This first group of leaves is one that should be familiar to most readers: the lettuce family. These vegetables, often eaten raw, are commonly known as essential salad ingredients. They are all low in carbs and have negligible glycemic indices and glycemic loads. This, along with being high in essential vitamins and minerals, means that I highly endorse eating as many leaves from the lettuce family as possible for those of you on a low carb diet.

Most of the common lettuces, such as romaine and iceberg, have been cultivated over the years due to their neutral flavor. Compare this with chicory and endive, which still retain the bitter taste of the original vegetable from which these plants originally descended. Many people are also surprised to learn that dandelions, those ubiquitous weeds found naturally on all continents, provide commonly-eaten edible leaves as well.

N: Negligible

Sources:
CalorieKing
David Mendosa

The undisputed kings of vegetable land.

It may sound like I’m overselling them, but in fact I cannot say enough about this particular group of veggies. They are almost always the most prominent part of a plant and our species has undoubtedly made leaves a major part of our diets for a long, long time. The dark, leafy greens in particular are known as nutritional powerhouses, providing a great source of calcium for those who are lactose intolerant. In case my gushing isn’t enough to convince you, I believe that leaves should be eaten every day in large quantities. Over the next few days, I’ll be breaking down them down into groups and if you’re not convinced of their power yet, you surely will be within a week! Make sure you subscribe at the top of the page and make sure you don’t miss a thing!

Moving further up the plant from the root to the bulb, we now come to the stems and stalks. These are the parts of the plant that need to hold everything up, so they all have in common a high fiber and cellulose content. Some tips of stems and stalks grow early in the season and are thus seen as one of the first signs of spring. Asparagus is a good example of this. Others grow later in the season. One blanket statement that can be made about these veggies is that they are all low-carb friendly… but that doesn’t mean you should eat a quarter of that rhubarb pie! Read more about different types of stems and stalks:

• Asparagus
• The Carrot Family: Celery and Fennel
• The Cabbage Family: Kohlrabi and Rutabaga
• Tropical Stems: Bamboo Shoots and Hearts of Palm
• Other Stem and Stalk Vegetables