I often hear from people who are a little confused about the vegetable requirements on Nutrisystem. Many have a favorite vegetable that they would like to eat a lot of but they aren't sure if doing so is going to negatively affect their diet. I heard from someone who said: "someone told me that vegetables are unlimited on Nutrisystem but I'm not sure about this. I love sweet peas. I pop them in my mouth like candy. I eat a lot of them and I never measure them out to see if I'm eating a cup or less. Is this going to be allowed on this diet? Is it true that I don't have to limit myself as far as vegetables are concerned?"
I'll try to answer this question below. But I'd like to first say that you should direct any concerns to the Nutrisystem counselors. That is what they are they for and they are more than happy to help. That said, I'll tell you my interpretation of the vegetable guidelines on this diet. It's my understanding that vegetables are broken down into two different types. They are classified as starchy and non starchy. Vegetables that have a lot of starch are classified as a "smart carb" or the category that contains mostly fruits. And you are asked to consume 2 smart carbs per day. So it's my understanding that those vegetables that are classified as smart carbs are limited to two per day. (And, if you look at the grocery guidelines, you will see that they also tell you the serving size of each.) For example, both black and white beans fall under this category and the suggested serving size is one half cup each. So if this woman was a huge fan of these type of beans, in an ideal world, she would limit herself to that amount twice per day.
However, looking at that non starchy vegetable list, sweet peas are on this list. So, they are considered to be a true vegetable rather than a carbohydrate. The minimum amount of vegetable servings that they want for you to have is four per day. Most people will eat two at lunch and two at dinner. Now, right on the guidelines, it says that many vegetables are unlimited. And they are talking about the vegetables without a lot of starches like broccoli, tomatoes or celery. But if you look closely at this list, you will see that sweet peas are listed with a generous serving size of one cup when they are raw. Considering that you need four servings each day, that would be up to four cups, which is quite a bit. (In fact, I can't imagine wanting to eat more than this.) However, if this wasn't enough for her, I think that she could make the argument that since this item isn't considered one of the smart carbs, it was in the unlimited category. After all, I can't imagine getting scolded for eating peas. But if you see that your results aren't what you want, you might experiment with some other type of vegetables to avoid boredom as well. And as I said, you should always check with the diet counselors just to be sure.
But to answers the question posed, many non starchy vegetables are unlimited on Nutrisystem. You just have to make sure that the vegetable you want to load up on is considered non starchy. The list is pretty extensive so you should be able to find the food that you considering and see what type of side item it is considered to be.
Want more tips on being successful on or starting Nutrisystem while saving money? Ava's Nutrisystem Information Website features articles meant to help you evaluate and have success with this diet. There's also a link to a free eBook and the latest coupons to help you get started. You can visit her at http://ava-alderman-weight-loss-articles.com/