Low Fat Diet

This week I received the following question from

http://foodpicker.org

 

I was recently diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes and I’m trying to follow a low fat diet.  I have a question I hope that you can answer.  Are sweet potatoes considered a vegetable and are they ok to eat in my diet?

All foods are acceptable in a diabetic diet. The key is just to keep it in moderation.

Sweet potatoes are considered a vegetable but they fall into the same category with all other white potatoes, green peas and corn. This is because they all contain a high amount of carbohydrates compared to other vegetables. Most vegetables contain only 5g of carbohydrates per serving where a potato is about 15g per serving.

It is OK to eat sweet potatoes. They even provide a nutrient called beta-carotene where other potatoes do not. This nutrient helps with preventing infections, colds, flu and night blindness. Vegetables are a great addition to any diet since the majority are low in calorie, carbohydrate have zero grams of fat and provide many nutrients. Since you are on a low-fat diet it is important to prevent adding too many condiments on top of vegetables because the amount of fat can quickly add up.

In conclusion, sweet potatoes are a great vegetable to eat in your diet and the only key is to monitor the intake since it is 15g of carbohydrates per 1/2 cup serving. 

Carbohydrates are important to monitor when during diabetes since they control your blood glucose and cause the spikes if you consume too much. 

To help monitor your carbohydrate and fat intake of foods, use the website foodpicker.org!