High-fiber, low-starch vegetables -- yea or nay?

I remember seeing a post by Frisco some months back. He was experimenting with high-fiber, low-starch vegetables and their role in providing sustained satiety in conjunction with lean, high-quality protein. I never saw a post with the outcome of his research (I may have missed it), but the results would be interesting.

My experience so far has been that eating protein first, then including some of these vegetables (broccoli, spinach, kale, green beans, tomatoes, green peppers, cabbage, etc.) has been rewarding, not only in good nutrition, but also in helping the protein along by providing some tough, slow-to-digest fiber to the sleeve. These vegetables don't "slide" through the sleeve (at least not my sleeve) and are satisfying and provide variety to a high-protein diet. Vegetables do add carbs, but is that necessarily a bad thing if the vegetables are "pulling their weight" in terms of satiety, weight loss and good nutrition? My surgeon and nutritionist are both okay with my 40g-a-day protein goal plus high-fiber vegetables, but of course this doesn't mean that everyone should eat this way.

Excluding the high-starch vegetables, like potatoes and corn, because the carb and calorie levels tend to be too high and they tend to slide through the sleeve too quickly, what has been your experience with high-fiber, low-starch vegetables? I'll be in maintenance mode before too long and wonder about their long-term value.

psychoticparrot

I love low carb veggies: greens, brussels, cauliflower. I tend to mix protein with them like roasted brussels with bacon and I put an egg on top. Or riced cauliflower with grilled chicken and buffalo wing sauce. Or kale with chicken sausage and other veggies.

I don't remember how far you are out, but I'm 6yr+ so perhaps YMMV.

Whats the word on Sweet potatoes and yams?  They're higher fiber and lower starch, and I personally prefer them to regular potatoes.  Does anyone have any data/docs info on these?

Dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate. But it still isn't healthy. If you're trying to lose, don't touch sweet potatoes and yams.

What veggies do you eat ?

Popcorn. The last green thing I ate was some cheese that was getting a little iffy.

Too funny.

He's not kidding. :)

If you are eating low carb, then they are still far too carby for regular consumption.  If not, that's up to you.The problem with sweet potatoes is they are higher in carbs and can cause weight to stop coming off.  They often knock people out of nutritional ketosis where we actively utilize fat instead of storing it.  Insulin triggers fat storage you see, and glucagon (which becomes reduced in the absence of insulin) triggers fat utilization.

The problem with sweet potatoes is they are higher in carbs and can cause weight to stop coming off.  They often knock people out of nutritional ketosis where we actively utilize fat instead of storing it.  Insulin triggers fat storage you see, and glucagon (which becomes reduced in the absence of insulin) triggers fat utilization.

Most people stay in ketosis eating no more than 30-50g of carbs/day, and typically not a whole load at once.  1/4 of a sweet potato probably wouldn't cause too much raising of blood sugar (it's about 9-12g of carbs if large) if you weren't eating anything but protein with it.

Sadly, sweet potatoes spike my hunger, so I avoid them in amounts larger than 1/8 a cup per meal.

One's tolerance to sweet potatoes and yams should determine how often they should be eaten, if at all. They're full of fiber and vitamins. They're also full of carbs. In a book about identifying "Blue Zones," that is, places where people routinely live longer and healthier than run-of-the-mill humans, Okinawa was found to have a higher-than-average percentage of people 80+years old in good health. Their dietary staple is not rice, but the purple yam, a tuber that's nutritionally equivalent to our familiar orange sweet potatoes. On that basis, I eat small amounts of sweet potatoes (no more than 2 ounces) a few times a week, although I haven't done that lately. Maybe on Thanksgiving. 

psychoticparrot