25 Worst Veggies for Diabetes

As a diabetic, it’s always better to play it safe and keep your carb count low because they are so easily digested and turned into sugars. This helps to ensure that your blood sugar doesn’t suddenly spike after a meal.
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As a diabetic, it’s always better to play it safe and keep your carb count low because they are so easily digested and turned into sugars. This helps to ensure that your blood sugar doesn’t suddenly spike after a meal.

And while most people advocate for vegetables as a healthy part of a diabetic diet, some vegetables are surprisingly high in carbs.

Common Vegetables That AREN’t Diabetic Friendly:

When it comes to vegetables it helps to stick to the carb exchange rule based on total carb count per meal.

(If you haven’t yet, now is a good time to read about the carb exchange method.)

As a diabetic, it’s best to keep carbs to less than 60g or four exchanges per meal. But when it comes to vegetables, we rarely think of them as being starchy enough to count as a carb. This isn’t always true.

In fact, the GI (or rate at which food is turned into blood glucose) can be quite high for some starchier veggies. GI is determined by the ratio between the net carbs and fiber amongst other factors.

Potatoes are a prime example of this. They may have a low-ish count of 14,8g net carbs per 100g, but they also have quite a low fiber count at only 2,2g. This makes them a medium to high GI food. It means they are more likely to spike blood sugar levels if eaten in combination with other high GI foods that quickly increase blood sugar levels.

Here are the veggies (per 100g) that are surprisingly high in carbs, including some that are also quite high on the GI scale:

Lentils have 12g of net carbs, but a nice high fiber count (8g), so while portion sizes should be kept in check, they are quite low-GI, despite being high in carbs (20g).

Parsnips have a net carb count of 13,1g and quite a low fiber count for a vegetable at 4,9g. This makes them about in the middle of the GI scale, and portion sizes should be monitored.

Shallots have even less fiber than shallots (3,2g) and more net carbs (13,8g), so portion sizes have to be kept in check with this veggie, although they are still moderately safe for diabetics.

Black-Eyed Peas are quite diabetic friendly for a legume, with only 14g net carbs and a nice high fiber count (7g). They are quite low, GI, but they do have more than one exchange of carbs per 100g.

Lima Beans are another good legume choice for diabetics, although they to have more than one exchange per 100g. Lima beans have 21g total carbs, of which 14g are net carbs. That’s almost a whole exchange just in the net carb count! Luckily the fiber count (7g) does make them lower on the GI scale.

Potatoes are one of the veggies that have understandably high net carbs (14,8g). With their low fiber count (2,2g), they are actually quite high on the GI scale and portion sizes should be kept in check to ensure they don’t cause a spike in blood sugar.

Banana Squash may have more net carbs (14,9g) than potatoes, but they are also quite rich in fiber (6,6g), making them slightly lower GI. So while they are relatively safe for diabetics, this is only if portion sizes are kept within a healthy range.

Salsify (Oyster Plant) is mid-GI with 15,3g net carbs and only 3,3g of fiber. It’s best to keep portion sizes in check though, especially if combined with other carbs.

Jerusalem Artichoke (Sunchokes) are surprisingly high GI with 15,4g net carbs and only 1,6g fiber. This makes them quite a red flag for diabetics because they can easily be the one unassumed veggie full of easily absorbed carbs that pushes your blood sugar over the threshold.

Sweet Yellow Corn is slightly better than some other veggies on the GI scale, but they are still quite high. With 16,3g net carbs and an only slightly better than potato fiber count (2,7g), sweet yellow corn still has the ability to raise blood sugar levels quite suddenly. The carb count and over GI levels for meals containing this veggie should be well calculated.

Sweet Potato is better for diabetics than normal potatoes thanks to the higher fiber count. So while sweet potatoes are sweeter and contain more net carbs (17g) they also have more fiber (3g), making them slightly lower on the GI scale. Unfortunately, the high carb content means the portion sizes should be smaller than for the same carb count as potatoes.

Soy Beans are quite high in net carbs (21g), but also relatively high in fiber, making them a good low-GI option provided that portion sizes are monitored.

Taro is another vegetable that diabetics can have, as long as they are aware that more 100g is equal to more than one and a half carb exchanges. Taro has 22,4g net carbs, with a medium to low fiber count of 4,1g, putting them on the higher end of the GI scale.

Yams are a high carb substitute for potatoes, and not the best option for diabetics despite the high fiber count (4,1g). They have a high net carbs count (23,9g) which is almost twice as much as a normal potato. In other words if you take a potato and yam of the same size, half the yam will have the same amount of carbs as the whole potato.

Eddoe is the highest of the medium carb veggies that are surprisingly high in carbs. With 24g of net carbs per 100g and only 4g of fiber they are on the higher end of the GI scale and portions should be small and interspersed with other lower GI carbs in the same meal.

Split Peas mark the line where the carb counts of vegetables (mainly legumes) skyrockets. They have 34g of net carbs per 100g. Luckily they also have an extremely high fiber count (26g), which makes them low GI and safe for diabetics as long as the total carb quota of the meal isn’t broken.

Borlotti/ Cranberry Beans also have a high fiber count (25g) and net carb count (35g) making them a good legume for diabetics to consider given the low GI count.

Kidney Beans, like the other beans mentioned so far, are very high in net carbs (35g), but they too have high fiber (25g) and a low GI count. So if potions are calculated properly they are safe for diabetics.

Navy Beans are edging higher on the GI scale with 37g net carbs and still relatively high fiber count (24g). They are comparatively safe for diabetics provided that portions are kept small.

Chickpeas aren’t that safe for diabetics. They have 44g net carbs and comparatively average fiber (17g). This means each 100g of chickpeas (or 6,5 tablespoons of humus) is equal to 3 carb exchanges, which is usually the maximum per meal for most diabetics.

Mung and Pinto Beans have more net carbs (47g) and less fiber (16g) than chickpeas. In other words portion sizes are very important when it comes to mung beans and pinto beans to ensure you don’t go over your maximum carb count per meal.

Adzuki Beans are the most illusive of all beans when it comes to counting carbs. Not only do they have the highest net carbs (50,2), they also have the lowest fiber (12,7g). This actually puts them on the medium to high GI scale. The high carb content means portions need to be minimal.

Other Deceptively High GI Veggies Diabetics Need To Be Cautious Of

While most whole foods are considered low-GI, some are actually deceptively high up on the GI scale.

Here are some of the veggies that may be a whole food, but still have relatively low fiber, making them higher GI than you’d think:

Veggie	Net Carbs	Fiber	Total Carbs
Hubbard Squash	6,9	1,7	8,6
White Onion	7,3	1,7	9
Celeriac (Celery Root)	7,4	1,8	9,2
Red Bell Pepper	7,5	1,5	9
Acorn Squash	8,5	1,5	10
Red Onion	8,7	1,4	10,1

Hubbard Squash is still considered relatively safe for diabetics. Having only 8,6g total carbs per 100g counts in this veggie’s favor. But the relatively low fiber count (1,7g) means these carbs are digested quite quickly and can cause a sugar spike if eaten with other high sugar or net carb foods.

White Onion is another sneaky one. Of the 9g total carbs per 100g only 1,7g is fiber. The remaining 7,3g net carbs are easily absorbed. Onion alone may not cause a sugar spike, but they are often left out of the total carb calculation for a meal, and having a high GI they can be the icing on the cake, so to speak.

Celeriac (Celery Root) actually has a surprisingly high net carb count (7,4g) for a root vegetable. With only 1,8g fiber they are medium to high on the GI scale.

Red Bell Peppers are slightly higher on the GI scale than celeriac root with 7,5g net carbs and only 1,5g fiber. They aren’t necessarily bad, but if they’re in a salad in an otherwise high carb meal they could cause an unexpected spike in blood sugar levels.

Acorn Squash, like most squash varieties, are actually quite high on the GI scale. With only 1,5g fiber and 8,5g net carbs this means that even though they are low in carbs compared to some other veggies, these carbs are quite easily absorbed.

Red Onion is even sneakier than white onion. They have more net carbs (8,7g) and only 1,4g fiber per 100g. They are often preferred to white onion because they are less sharp and sweeter than their white counterparts. But like their white counterparts, they are often not added to the total carb count of a meal and this can be detrimental for a diabetic.

Vegetables that are considered safe for Diabetics

While not all of these vegetables are low GI they are mostly considered safe for diabetics to eat as long as the total carb count of the meal doesn’t exceed the recommended amount for the individual.

 

Vegetable	Net Carbs	Fiber	Total Carbs
Alfalfa Sprouts	0,2	1,8	2,1
Endive	0,3	3,1	3,4
Nettles	0,6	6,9	7,5
Tatsoi	0,6	2,7	3,3
Watercress	0,8	0,5	1,3
Collard Greens	1	4	5
New Zealand Spinach	1	1,5	2,5
Bok Choy	1,2	1	2,2
Spinach	1,4	2,2	3,6
Mustard Greens	1,5	3,2	4,7
Celery	1,5	1,5	3
Lettuce	1,6	1,3	2,9
Chives	1,9	2,5	4,4
Asparagus	1,9	2,1	4
Chard	2,1	1,6	3,7
Arugula (Rocket)	2,1	1,6	3,7
Zucchini (Marrows)	2,1	1	3,1
Mushrooms	2,3	1	3,3
Kohlrabi	2,4	3,6	6
White Radish (Daikon)	2,5	1,6	4,1
Patty Pan	2,6	1,2	3,8
Rhubarb	2,7	1,8	4,5
Cherry Tomatoes	2,7	1,2	3,9
Red Tomatoes	2,7	1,2	3,9
Broccoflower	2,8	3,2	6
Green Bell Pepper	2,9	1,7	4,6
Korean Konjac	2,9	0,2	3,1
Runner Beans	3	3,7	6,7
Cauliflower	3	2	5
Cucumber	3,1	0,5	3,6
Gem Squash	3,3	0,3	3,6
Aubergine/ Eggplant	3,5g	3g	6,5g
Cabbage	3,5	2,5	6
Frisee	3,5	1,2	4,7
Green Beans	3,6	3,4	7
Radicchio	3,6	0,9	4,5
Okra	3,8	3,2	7
Fennel Bulbs	3,9	3,1	7
Bean Sprouts	3,9	1,9	5,8
Green Tomatoes	4	1,1	5,1
Jicama (Mexican Turnip)	4,1	4,9	9
Fennel	4,1	3,1	7,2
Mung Beans (sprouted)	4,1	1,8	5,9
Soy Beans (sprouted)	4,1	1,8	5,9
Jalapeno	4,2	2,8	7
Turnip	4,2	1,8	6
Scallion (Green/ Spring Onion)	4,4	2,6	7
Broccoli	4,4	2,6	7
Snap Peas	5	2,6	7,6
Bitter Melon	5,1	1,9	7
Brussel Sprouts	5,2	3,8	9
Kale	5,2	3,6	8,8
Yellow Bell Pepper	5,4	0,9	6,3
Spaghetti Squash	5,5	1,5	7