11 Sugar-free Fruits and Vegetables To Eat for Healthy Living
Fruits have sugar but not the added kind. Despite this, diabetics still face a problem with their blood sugar levels no matter how little or more they eat. If you’ve always wondered whether there are any low-sugar and sugar-free fruits and vegetables out there, there is! Here is what you need to know about them.
Fruits and Vegetables with Zero or Negligible Sugar Content
Life doesn’t end when you get diabetes. You can optimize your diet with vegetables and fruits with low sugar content. Some of them are:
1. Lettuce
Lettuce has fibre which is good for your gut and a key ingredient in soups and salads. It’s rich in Vitamin K, low in calories, and a good source of nutrients like folate, manganese, iron, and other vitamins. For every 100 grams of lettuce, there are just 0.8 grams of sugar!
2. Beetroot
Beetroots are one of the best sugar-free vegetables which are super low in calories. It is a good source of folate for women and helps regulate blood pressure levels. In a 100 g serving, you get 20% of RDI for folate, 0.2 grams of fat, 2 grams of fibre, and up to 1.7 grams of protein.
3. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a diabetic superfood and loaded with Vitamin C, A, potassium, and other nutrients. It’s a low-carb vegetable and gives you just 32 calories in every serving. The lycopene found in tomatoes is known to have cancer-fighting properties and lowers the risk of heart disease too. Besides that, tomatoes also prevent night blindness, give you soft and supple skin, and help boost your bone density.
4. Papayas
Papaya is good for your digestive system and has low sodium content. Low sodium intake correlates with lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels. The fruit is loaded with nutrients like vitamins A, C, folate, potassium, protein, and fibre. There are also traces of essential B vitamins, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K in the fruit. What makes papaya stand out is that it’s high in lycopene which is shown to regulate blood pressure levels, keep your heart in good shape, and prevent sunburn. It is also known to protect against certain types of cancer.
5. Cucumber
Cucumbers are cooling and hydrating. The best part is that they are low in calories per cup and give you fewer than 5 grams of carbs per cup. You can have them as much as you want as they’re excellent sources of potassium and Vitamin C. They’re also a versatile ingredient extensively used in various dishes like salads, soups, pasta, wraps, sandwiches, and more.
6. Cabbage
Cabbage is a good source of fibre, manganese, vitamins B6, K, and C. It’s loaded with antioxidants which makes it a great choice for diabetics. You can even ferment organic raw cabbage at home to make a jar of sauerkraut, a good source of pre- and probiotics. And we don’t have to stress that your gut health influences your immunity, the way you feel, and much more.
7. Broccoli
Broccoli is very diabetic-friendly and since it’s low-carb, it makes for one of the best no sugar vegetables. It has vitamins A, C, B6, potassium, fibre and is known to even have cancer-fighting properties. You can add them to salads and sandwiches.
8. Cauliflower
The humble cauliflower packs a punch when it comes to the top vegetables without sugar. A cup of cauliflower lets you meet your RDA for Vitamin C and gives a host of nutrients like fibre, potassium, and folate. The best part is that it’s one of those vegetables that can be eaten raw, as cauliflower rice, in soups and as salads and also complements chicken broth very well.
9. Spinach
Spinach should be one of your go-to sugar-free veggies. It is high in fibre, calcium, and doesn’t raise your blood sugar levels one bit even when you consume in large quantities. One cup of raw spinach gives you 1.1 grams of carbs, 4.3 grams of fibre (one-third of which is soluble), and just 0.4 grams of natural sugar!
10. Guavas
Guava is one of those fruits without sugar since it has a very low Glycemic Index (GI) while being high in fibre. They have various antioxidants and help eliminate constipation too in diabetics. This fruit packs more Vitamin C than oranges and can even lower your risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.
11. Watermelons
Watermelon is a fantastic fruit for those with diabetes as it is loaded with vitamin C and has just six grams of sugar. Yes, you read that right. The glycemic load for watermelons is really low which means your blood sugar levels don’t spike after eating. Besides this, it is also low in calories and contains a host of nutrients like Vitamin A, L-Citfibrene, fibre, lycopene, and is the ideal fruit to eat for optimal hydration. And in case you’re wondering, watermelon is also considered as a natural Viagra according to researchers which is a plus!
Eating fruits and vegetables is good for you but when you have diabetes, you have to watch out for the carbs and their overall Glycemic Index. Hopefully, our list of sugar-free fruits and vegetables will get you started. Other ways to lower your risk for this lifestyle disease or regulate your blood sugar levels is to eat as natural as possible and avoid processed foods. Make stuff in the kitchen, load up on salads, and lower your carb intake – you’d be surprised how far you will take your body and your pancreas will thank you for it.
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