Description

A favorite among low-carb dieters and anyone who wants to lose weight fast, zucchini has a very low score on the glycemic index. Due to its high water percentage, zucchini is low in calories, carbs and sugars, but high in essential nutrients like potassium, manganese, and antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin A. To add more filling volume to your meals with little extra calories, you can use zucchini in a variety of different cuisines and recipes: a healthy raw snack, dip, side dish or even vegetarian entrée.

All summer squashes are members of the Cucurbitaceae plant family, which includes squash relatives like melon, spaghetti squash and cucumbers. These all have similar large seeds and grow above the ground on short plants. Zucchini can come in dark, light green or white spotted varieties and is also closely related to the hybrid vegetable known as yellow squash (or “summer squash”) that has a bright golden or deep-orange color.

Indeed, zucchini is a type of squash vegetable, so it has a lot in common with other squashes, including butternut and winter squash. Squashes come in two types: winter and summer. While both types share some similarities and benefits, there are a few major differences. Summer squash, including green zucchini and yellow squash, are lower in calories and much lower in natural sugars and starch, so they have lower scores on the glycemic index. All summer squash are technically picked before they fully ripen and become hardened. Both types of squash groups are a good source of vitamin A and vitamin C, plus potassium and fiber.

One medium zucchini (or about 1 ½ cups of raw slices) has about:33 calories0 fat2 grams fiber2 grams protein5 grams carbs3 grams sugar3 milligrams vitamin C (56 percent DV)4 milligrams vitamin B6 (21 percent DV)3 milligrams manganese (17 percent DV)3 milligrams riboflavin (16 percent DV)514 milligrams potassium (15 percent DV)57 milligrams folate (14 percent DV)4 milligrams vitamin K (11 percent DV)