Chambers of Shrinking Witches

Onion Types

Do you love onions? They add amazing flavor to a variety of dishes. Here are carb counts for different types of onion, and suggestions for uses of each one.

Onions are actually types of lillies, and have been used in cooking for at least 7,000 years. They are one of our oldest food sources. Many societies felt onions brought strength and courage, and they were a favorite food of armies. Onions add a great flavor to recipes and are also antioxidants. Onions have potassium and vitamin C in them. Some studies even show that eating 1/2 onion each day can raise your HDL levels by 30%.

I did a LOT of research to try to find different carb levels for the different types of onions. Every website and source I found listed all varieties of onions as having the same carb counts. The total carb counts varied by 1g or so from site to site but of course most judged "per onion" and who knows exactly what a "normal sized" onion is :) The per cup figure I list is the average of the values I found.

Yes, 5g per serving might be high for induction. However, onions are VERY healthy and it's worth it to incorporate them into your diet plans.

Vidalia Onion
One of the most popular onions is a sweet variety first grown in Georgia. It was named after a city there that hosted a large Farmer's Market. Vidalias are the style used in "blooming onions" and are usually used in this manner or in onion rings. A whole vidalia is usually around 1 cup.
1/2 cup serving - 5g
Fiber - 1g
Net Carbs - 4g

Italian Red Onion
These colorful onions are often used in salads to add a lively color to them - either a ring or two laid on top, or diced red cubes are tossed over the top of the salad. Italian Reds can be sweet like a Vidalia or more mild. These are usually served raw in salads.
1/2 cup serving - 5g
Fiber - 1g
Net Carbs - 4g

Yellow Onion
The staple in many traditional recipes, yellow onions are cut into cubes and plunked along with meat dishes. They're used in soups and casseroles. They are usually not very flavorful but are quite inexpensive.
1/2 cup serving - 5g
Fiber - 1g
Net Carbs - 4g

Pearl Onion
Pearl onions are small, white onions that are often used in beef stews and other meat dishes. They have a mild flavor and are usually served whole, cooked in the sauce or juice of a dish.
1/2 cup serving - 5g
Fiber - 1g
Net Carbs - 4g

Green Onions
Also called scallions, it is the green "leaves" of this onion that are eaten. The bright green tops are used as decoration in soups, salads and vegetable dishes.
1/2 cup serving - 4g
Fiber - 1g
Net Carbs - 3g

Potato Types

There are numerous types of potatoes. You know that they generally aren't low carb - but here are details about which are better than others.

To start with, 1/2 cup of potato has 14g of carbs in it. This is more than pretty much any other vegetable on the planet. While other veggies like tomatoes and zucchini are loaded with nutrients, the potato really has very little in comparison.

So why do people eat a ton of potatoes? First, they're cheap. You can grow a ton of potatoes very easily. Remember the Irish being forced to grow giant batches of potatoes? It's an easy-grow food. It grows underground, safe from deer, rabbits and such. Also, it is full of calories and carbs. While this may seem BAD to us in modern times, to hard working farmors and laborers, this was great. It gave you the energy to keep working.

Sweet Potatoes are, as you might guess, even worse for you. They are a high sugar version of the potato. They are a full 22g of carbs per half cup.

How about McDonalds French Fries? Be ready for this one - a large fries has 70g of carbs - and that's only 6oz of fries!! A medium order, at 4oz, is 47g. Never mind that they fry the potatoes in trans fatty acids. Talk about a double dose of bad.

I really recommend you wean yourself off potatoes - and find some of the other delicious veggies that are good for you!

Yam / Sweet Potato Information

Yams and sweet potatos are full of natural sugars, but they are also quite nutritious. In the grand scheme of things, they are quite better than many dessert style dishes you could feed yourselves :)

It's important to note that yams and sweet potatoes are not in the same botanical "family". Yams are part of the Dioscoreaceae family - found in the tropics. Sweet potatos are part of the Convolvulaceae family, related to morning glories! They are completely different types of vegetables. Neither are related at all to potatoes.

Sweet potatoes have:
28g per 1 baked sweet potato
27g per 1 boiled sweet potato (without peel)
59g per 1 cup mashed sweet potato

Yams have:
36g per 1 cup raw

If you're going for a candied yam dish or a sweet potato with brown sugar dish, realize that you are consuming a TON of sugar and should plan for a long walk afterwards :)

Tomato Nutrition Information and Types

Tomatos are a healthy staple of any diet, most definitely including low carb diets. Tomatos are full of great vitamins and are low in excess sugars.

A half cup of tomato only contains about 3.2g of carbs. Compare that with the 14g+ found in potatoes!! Plus you get way more nutrition out of your tomato.

What's fascinating is that only a short while ago, mankind thought that tomatos were poisonous! That's because the plant itself (the green part) is not healthy to ingest. However the bright red objects we eat are quite good for us.

What's even more fascinating is that a tomato is actually a fruit. It has all the botanical properties of a fruit. The only reason we call it a vegetable is because we tend to eat it as a food, rather than a snack. Interesting!

Some common types of tomato include:

Beefsteak - the large ones that are used, in slices, on burgers

Cherry - the teeny ones that are like marbles, used in salads

Roma - medium sized oblong ones, perfect for salsa and sauce

Some people try to figure out the carb differences between tomatoes. It's really very tiny, and since every single tomato is different than its brothers, it's best just to use the standard count as an average across all tomatoes you eat.

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