Small, achievable steps are the best way to reach major goals. One small step you can take to help improve your food choices is to increase your intake of non-starchy vegetables.

Starchy vegetables are lower in fiber and nutrients, and they turn to sugar very quickly once you consume them, which increases the likelihood that these starchy choices increase your waistline rather than giving you energy.

Non-starchy vegetables, on the other hand, give the body nutrients it can use without greatly affecting blood sugar levels. Instead of going straight to the hips, the energy in vegetables like broccoli and brussel sprouts can be utilized by the cells.

The website, diabetes.org, provides a list of non-starchy vegetables to help you shift your eating habits. Here are some of the choices:

• Artichoke
• Asparagus
• Bamboo shoots
• Beans (green, wax, Italian)
• Bean sprouts
• Beets
• Brussels sprouts
• Broccoli
• Cabbage (green, bok choy, Chinese)
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Coleslaw (packaged, no dressing)
• Cucumber
• Eggplant
• Greens (collard, kale, mustard, turnip)
• Jicama
• Leeks
• Mushrooms
• Okra
• Onions
• Pea pods
• Peppers
• Radishes
• Rutabaga
• Salad greens (chicory, endive, escarole, lettuce, romaine, spinach, arugula, radicchio, watercress)
• Sprouts
• Squash (cushaw, summer, crookneck, spaghetti, zucchini)
• Sugar snap peas
• Swiss chard
• Tomato
• Turnips
• Water chestnuts

Try tracking your veggie intake over the next week. Are you getting your five to nine servings a day (approximately a half cup per serving)? And how many of those vegetables are the healthier, non-starchy choice?

In health,
Ramona