How much vegetables should I be eating?

(Wendy Peterson) #1

I’m relatively new to keto and have been doing a lot of reading and listening to podcasts about how this is done. I get some conflicting information thought from Jimmy Moore saying in the book eats lots of veggies to the podcast saying you only need a side salad. How many servings of veggies (non starchy) should I be eating in a day?

(Jaidann) #2

I pretty much use up my carbs in a day on leafy greens - spinach, turnip greens, etc and also cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, asparagus … stuff like that. I tend to eat my veggies at dinner and not through the day so whatever I decide to eat with it I don’t go over 20 net carbs.

Hope that helps!

(eat more) #3

there’s no “rule” as long as you keep your carbs under your limit.
the zero carb folks don’t eat any.
i’ve read that some folks don’t count green leafy towards their carbs.
(not to confuse things)

i do eat some and count them towards my carbs.

#4

You’ve just got to find your personal sweet spot. If you don’t like veggies there’s no need to choke them down. If you love veggies then you can definitely fit in a good amount, especially if you are someone limits carbs based on net count vs. total.
Then there’s the zero carb/carnivore option under which you would consume 0 vegetables, and many people do well with that.
I lovelovelove pan-roasted broccoli and/or cauliflower so I eat a lot of that.

(Wendy Peterson) #5

Thank you!!

(Guardian of the bacon) #6

0 to pretty much all of the leafy greens you want. I have yet to see documented proof of anyone getting fat from too many leafy greens.

#7

The guidance provided by Dr. Atkins was for two cups of leafy green vegetables and one cup of salad vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, or green beans at first. This still leave a few more grams available for any carbs in a bit of cheese, nuts, and cream.

#8

i was eating three giant salads a day when i started. Just leave out the starchy veggies and carrots.

Veggies are your friend. Especially kale.

(eat more) #9

kale and i are NOT friends :barf:

(gooeykablooey) #10

Kale is disgusting… consumed a ton of it when I tried taking up juicing to stay vegan (I started getting very sick) a couple years ago. Yucky vile kale

(Jaidann) #11

Can’t do kale. Tastes like dirt and dandelion weed to me. Blech!!

(Dustin) #12

I remember when I first bought my nutri bullet, and I stuck the whole kale plant in the blender. I drank it, and it was bitter and warm too whew! lol. Then I found is was easier just to peel leaves off and eat them, and then I got the idea to rip the leaves off and fry them in butter oh…Yeah. :wink:

(Jennifer) #13

Love kale - fresh or sauteed. But I also eat weeds out of my garden too. Lol - they grow better than shit I plant, so, why not?

#14

Still eating for fun …you guys are wimps LOL (just kidding). You dont eat it because it tastes good. check out the nutritional content. Nothing even comes close and on top of that calories are crazy low for whats in it.

Before keto i thought it was gross. Then during my tastes changed. I started doing the kale chips with avocado oil and parmesan …baking it makes a huge difference. Now my salads are pretty much all kale along with good veggies. I probably eat 4-5 cups of it in a salad when I am refueling. I also just eat it plain raw sometimes just to get the nutrients in me.

Kale chips and radish chips are good snacks for keto though if you cant control your cravings yet and are anal about getting fat. My kids tear them up. Use Avocado oil. Its good fat.

With veggies the more the better IMO. You definitely need the fiber as well as all the minerals and vitamins. I only bring up kale so much because its so incredibly dense.

Is it delicious… not really. Is it palatable … absolutely. I can tell you It tastes a lot better when you have not eaten for 72 hours

i did the dandelion thing a few times. Now those are rough LOL. Still… throw it in a salad and all you really taste is the apple cider vinegar anyways. I take the boys outside to pick them. They are good for you.

sardines used to taste bad to me as well pre keto. Now I make sure to eat a can every time I refuel for the nutrients. i dont think they are bad at all. I have a can of octopus I bought to try but have not broke it open yet. When I first got into keto I spent a lot of time at the store just studying food, labels, nutritional content etc. i was open to trying new things. Different meats… different veggies etc. its all a learning process. About 80% of whats in stores is pretty much useless calories that do nothing for you other than make you fat.

Keto is a funny thing though. You can get away with a lot in the beginning and still lose weight really fast. Not so much when you get to the last 10-20lbs or so. It gets trickier as you lose more. Thats a big reason i tell people its just the first stage. I went from 220 to 155-160 in around five months with zero activity. If i knew then what i know know I would have lost all the weight in half the time with no stalls.

(eat more) #15

i’m still not eating kale…or sardines :joy::joy::joy:

:blush:

p.s. i’ve made a valiant effort with both…no…just no

#16

Thats OK Mikki. I think we just have different mindsets and goals. I push myself pretty hard and often to the edge. Ever force a whoosh? LOL. Yes its possible (for me) but not for the lighthearted or those that easily panic.

No kale??? How about bay kale at least?

No sardines… thats fine. just find another source of fish… tuna etc.I just use sardines a lot because i have to eat so many different types of protein and foods in general in a refuel. I am basically eating once every three days right now and working my tail off with weights and cardio. Its temporary though. Then its back to creating more nuclei which is way harder. This is my fun time getting rid of all the useless fat.

#17

From what I’ve read that’s not the case when eating LCHF.

(Brian) #18

I think the important thing about vegetables is to eat “better” vegetables. A few shredded carrots on a salad isn’t a problem. Eat whatever non-starchy vegetable that you like. What I’ve found is that the most important thing is to STOP eating when you’re actually full. As I’ve learned to listen to my body’s signals its become easier to know when to stop. My wife really likes green beans (she’s not keto) and as a compromise she makes them w/ bacon grease now. So instead of eating a whole pile of green beans, I know they’re a bit carby so I just ate a bit less of them then I would like and stopped when I was full.

#19

I love kale as well but only if either water sautéed, steamed, or oil sautéed. A large amount of kale will cook down into a nice amount that is very delicious. I never try to digest it raw. It is important to cook the kale to reduce phytates or oxilates I can’t remember which. Also the cooked/softened kale is easier to digest and chew. I usually squeeze out the water from the steamed kale and then add a couple spoonfuls of good olive/mac/avocado oil, melted butter, melted coconut oil, etc and spices/herbs, salt and pepper.

(eat more) #20

everyone doesn’t have to do what you do…regardless of goals, mindset, heart, or panic…
it doesn’t mean they’re doing it wrong or not working just as hard if they choose differently

i’m glad you’ve found what works for you and are passionate about it but no dad…not any kind of kale…or sardines :joy: