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This summer squash makes an ideal low-carb substitute for pasta with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support metabolic health.

Foods we love: Zucchini

This summer squash makes an ideal low-carb substitute for pasta with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that support metabolic health.

Stephanie Eckelkamp
WRITTEN BY
Stephanie Eckelkamp
Zoë Atlas, MPH, RDN
REVIEWED BY
Zoë Atlas, MPH, RDN
UPDATED: 27 Jun 2023
PUBLISHED: 31 Aug 2022
đź•— 3 MIN READ

You know it’s really summer when every friend with a garden tries to pawn off the fruits of their prolific zucchini plant on you. And that’s not a bad thing.

Zucchini is a type of summer squash that’s green and has a long, cylindrical shape. Technically a fruit, it’s more commonly categorized as a vegetable.

One great thing about zucchini: You can eat lots of it for minimal calories and carbs. One cup of chopped zucchini contains 21 calories and 3.9 grams of carbohydrates, making it unlikely to spike blood sugar. It also provides fiber and a decent portion of the adult recommended dietary allowance (RDA) for several vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C (25-30% RDA), vitamin B6 (16% RDA), manganese (9.5-12% RDA), riboflavin (9-10.5% RDA), and potassium (9.5-12.5% RDA). And zucchini is a source of the carotenoid antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin.

This combination of nutrients and zucchini’s ability to stand-in for carb-rich food make it a smart addition to any metabolically friendly diet.

Zucchini’s Metabolic Punch

The most impactful way you can use zucchini to support metabolic health is by eating it in place of high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta. Zucchini is easily spiralized or peeled into zucchini noodles (a.k.a. “zoodles”), which can be used in place of pasta or noodles, while delivering a fraction of the carbohydrates. Zoodles work well lightly sauteed (just enough to heat, about 2-3 minutes) and added to soups that will be eaten immediately or dressed up with any sauce or toppings that aren’t watery such as a thick meat sauce, pesto, alfredo sauce (like this dairy-free version), or olive oil and parmesan.

You save about 67 grams of carbs when you trade a cup of cooked spaghetti pasta for a cup of zucchini noodles. Used regularly, low-carb swaps like this may improve blood sugar stability, insulin sensitivity, and other metabolic syndrome markers. Over time, this could help curb risk of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Zucchini also contains a range of micronutrients and phytochemicals that are important for metabolic health. Vitamin C, manganese, lutein, and zeaxanthin all have antioxidant properties, meaning they help counteract oxidative stress—the imbalance between pro-oxidants called reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants—and its downstream consequences. This is important for metabolic health, as unchecked oxidative stress contributes to cellular damage that can, in turn, drive inflammation and increase the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and overall metabolic dysfunction.

More specifically:

Vitamin B6 is another metabolically important micronutrient found in zucchini. It plays an important role in reactions that regulate glucose, fat, and protein metabolism, and higher B6 levels have been associated with reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes in epidemiological studies. Additionally, animal research suggests vitamin B6 may lower blood glucose levels and combat oxidative stress and its associated cellular damage.

Zucchini Buying Advice

Buying zucchini is pretty straightforward, but keep the following shopping tips in mind:

Tips for Storing & Using Zucchini

Ideas for Eating Zucchini

Zucchini is incredibly versatile. It’s tasty raw or cooked and can shape-shift into zoodles, stir-fries, soups, and more. Try these ideas:

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