Starch is a carbohydrate. Carbohydrates are found either as simple or complex and are characterized as having the elements carbon, hydrogen and oxygen in a defined order. Simple carbohydrates include monosaccharides and disaccharides whereas complex carbohydrates include oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. According to Georgia State University's Hyperphysics website, starches are classified as polysaccharides or complex carbohydrates. Starch can be found in a variety of food items.
Breads
Flour is one of the primary ingredients in bread. When making bread, the type of flour used will determine the starch content of the end product. According to the Wheat Foods Council, cake flour has a high percentage of starch whereas gluten flour has a low percentage of starch. The starch content is not without sacrifices, however. Cake flour has a decreased amount of protein when compared with gluten flour. According to the National Institutes of Health, one serving of starch is equivalent to either one slice of bread, one small potato, ¾ cup dry cereal flakes or one six-inch tortilla.
Starchy Vegetables
Starchy vegetables include corn, peas, potatoes and winter squash. The starch content in these vegetables increases their complex carbohydrate levels when compared to non-starchy vegetables. The University of Illinois Extension Service's Guide to Diet and Diabetes advises that when consuming starchy vegetables with fat, such as yams with butter, it should be viewed as eating one serving of starch and one serving of fat. According to the National Institutes of Health, one small ear of corn and one small potato has the same starch content as eating two slices of bread; both are considered two servings of starch.
Lentils
Lentils, also known as Lens culinaris, are bushy plants that are part of the legume family. Lentil plants come in a variety of colors thus producing different colored seeds. After preparation, the seeds will have differing flavors and textures depending on the color plant they came from. According to a doctoral dissertation paper submitted to The University of New South Wales, different types of lentils yield different starch and protein contents. Matilda, Digger and Cobber are three types of lentils found in Australia. The author of the dissertation found that Matilda, with its larger physical features than Digger and Cobber, had better starch expansionary behavior than both Digger and Cobber varieties.
References
- Georgia State University: Starches
- Wheat Foods: Grains of Truth about Wheat Flour
- National Institutes of Health: What I need to know about Eating and Diabetes: Starch
- University of Illinois: The Starch and Starchy Vegetables Group
- The University of New South Wales: Physio-chemistry and rheology of Australian lentil flour and starch, and their implications for extrusion
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