How many carbs in broccolini?

If you’re anything like me, then the question of “how many carbs in broccolini” has been keeping you up at night. Okay, maybe not to that extreme, but if you’re trying to keep an eye on your carb intake and enjoy a good serving of broccolini with your dinner, this is definitely something worth considering. So without further ado, let’s break it down!

What Even Is Broccolini?

Before we dive into its nutritional value (or lack thereof), let’s quickly clear up what exactly we’re talking about here. Contrary to popular belief (which I just made up), broccolini isn’t actually baby broccoli. It’s a hybrid vegetable that was created by crossing broccoli with another green veggie called gai lan (look at me being all knowledgeable about vegetables). It looks kind of like broccoli’s lanky cousin, with elongated stems and smaller florets. But despite its different appearance (and arguably fancier name), it does share quite a few similarities with the OG green veggie.

The Nutritional Breakdown

So now that we know what broccolini actually is (spoiler alert: it still counts as a green vegetable), let’s get into the nitty-gritty details of how many carbs are hiding in those thin stalks.

  • If you were hoping for zero carbs…well sorry folks! A one-cup serving contains 4 grams of carbohydrates.
  • BUT before you swear off the stuff altogether (please don’t – think about all those vitamins!), keep in mind that three quarters of those carbs come from dietary fiber.
    • Fiber is great because it doesn’t raise blood sugar levels or impact insulin production unlike other types fo carbohydrates
  • This means that there’s only around one net gram effective carbohydrate per serving (this is me pretending to understand the concept of net carbs), which isn’t too shabby at all.
    • Furthermore, consuming broccolini links with improved cholesterol levels due to its high fiber content.
  • That same cup serving will only set you back about 35 calories and provides a decent amount of vitamins A and C as well.

Net Carbs Vs Total Carbs

So what’s the deal with “net” carbs? Is that even a real thing or just another one of those buzzwords dieters use to feel fancy? (insert dramatic pause) It actually is a real term!

When it comes to carb-counting in particular, there’s often a distinction made between total carbs and net carbs.

  • Total carbohydrates are pretty straightforward – they’re simply the total number of grams of carbohydrates found in any given food item. This includes both simple sugars like glucose as well as more complex carbohydrates like starches.
  • Net carbs are essentially calculated by subtracting grams of dietary fiber from the total carbohydrate count.
    • Why take away dietary fiber? Because unlike other forms of carbohydrates, our bodies can’t break down fiber into sugar molecules so excluding them gives us an idea breakdown on carbs we should worry about.
What has more fibre: Broccoli Vs Brocollini?

You might be wondering if broccolini’s nutritional value stacks up against regular broccoli (or maybe not, but let’s pretend you are because I need something else for this subheading). And while it does have some differences – namely less vitamin K but slightly more vitamin A per serving – it starts to look fairly similar when you look closer at its macronutrient profile:

Broccoli 1 cup (91g) Broccolini 1 cup (88g)
Total Calories 31 35
Carbohydrates (g) 6 4
-Dietary fiber (g) 2 3
Protein (g) 3 3
Vitamin A RDA 13%
Vitamin C RDA 30 %

Wow, that is some serious nutrition right there! Or at least enough to make us feel somewhat better about our chosen veggies (which I’m sure were always broccoli and broccolini and not just fries).

The Bottom Line

All things considered, broccolini seems like a pretty solid choice if you’re looking to keep your carbs in check while still getting plenty of healthy vitamins and minerals. Whether steamed and served as a side dish or tossed into a pasta with all sorts of decadent sauce, its nutritional value isn’t something you have to compromise on (and doesn’t everything taste better when it’s been healthy-fied anyway?).

And now we can finally rest easy knowing once again how many carbs are in this beloved green vegetable. Until the next nutrition-based quandary arises anyways…

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