Vegetables are either starchy or non-starchy. Starchy vegetables include potatoes and sweet potatoes, peas, corn, winter squash and dried beans. Non-starchy vegetables are low in calories, high in fiber and usually have a minimal effect on blood sugar levels. Beets are a non-starchy vegetable and don't contain significant amounts of starch. However, they do contain carbohydrates. Eating beets can help you meet the recommended intake of three to five servings of vegetables per day and 4 to 6 cups of red or orange vegetables each week.
Types of Carbohydrate
The three types of carbohydrate are starch, sugar and fiber. Starches get broken down during digestion into sugars. People don't have the enzymes to digest fiber, but it has a number of beneficial effects, including lowering your risk for heart disease, constipation and high cholesterol. Fiber may also help control your weight and your blood sugar.
A 1-cup serving of beets contains 13 grams of carbohydrate, of which 9.2 grams are sugar and 3.8 grams are fiber. Beets are approximately 87 percent water, so their carbohydrate content is relatively low. While they have a medium glycemic index of 64, the glycemic load of beets is low at 5, meaning the overall effect of beets on blood sugar is low.
Beets are a good source of folate, with each 1-cup serving containing 148 micrograms, or 37 percent of the daily value. This serving also provides 6.7 milligrams of vitamin C, or 11 percent of the DV; 31 milligrams of magnesium, or 8 percent of the DV; 1 milligram of iron, or 6 percent of the DV; 54 milligrams of phosphorus, or 5 percent of the DV; and 0.1 milligrams of vitamin B-6, or 5 percent of the DV.
You can eat beets raw in salads after grating them or slicing them thinly. You can also roast beets to bring out the sweetness from the natural sugars they contain or pickle, boil, steam or microwave them. Beets go well with orange, lemon, other root vegetables, feta, goat cheese, walnuts, apple and garlic.
- Nutrient Data Laboratory: Nutrient Data for 11080, Beets, Raw
- American Diabetes Association: Non-starchy Vegetables
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Carbohydrates
- Office on Women's Health: Carbohydrates
- University of Illinois Extension: Beet
- USDA: ChooseMyPlate
- American Journal of Clinical Nutrition: International Table of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2002
- early red beets and young beet leaves image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com