Presence Of Starch In Fruits & Vegetables

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention divide carbohydrates into two categories, including complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates, or sugars. Complex carbohydrates include dietary fiber and starch. Dietary fiber is a non-digestible carbohydrate that provides a feeling of fullness and aids in proper bowel function. Your body digests starch more slowly than sugar, before eventually using it as a glucose source.

Starch in Fruit

As fruit ripens, its starch content turns into sugar, providing natural sweetness, according to the Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. Ripe fruits do not provide large amounts of starch, though they do contain some dietary fiber. High-fiber fruits include pears, with 6 g per serving, apples, with 5 g per serving and kiwifruit, with 4 g per serving.

Starchy Vegetables

Starchy vegetables include corn, potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, green peas and plantains. Your body digests these high-starch foods slowly like grains, according to the University of Michigan Health System. Starchy vegetables provide rich sources of fiber and other nutrients, and typically have a low glycemic index. These vegetables have more grams of carbohydrates per serving than other vegetables. One medium potato has 26 g of carbohydrates, including 2 g of dietary fiber, and one medium sweet potato has 23 g of carbohydrates, including 4 g of dietary fiber. One serving of sweet corn has 18 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of dietary fiber.

Nutrients in Starchy Vegetables

Starchy vegetables provide more nutrients than many other starch sources such as breads, bagels, crackers and snacks. One medium potato contains 620 mg of potassium, a nutrient that can lessen the impact of salt on blood pressure, slow bone loss and reduce your risk of developing kidney stones, according to the USDA. One medium sweet potato has 440 mg of potassium as well as 30 percent of your recommended daily vitamin C intake and 120 percent of your recommended daily vitamin A intake. A serving of corn contains 250 mg of potassium, 4 g of protein and 10 percent of your recommended daily vitamin C intake.

Recommended Intake

The USDA recommends a weekly intake of 3 cups of starchy vegetables for women and 6 cups for men. Carbohydrates should account for 45 to 65 percent of your daily caloric intake, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At least half of the grains you eat each day should be fiber-rich whole grains. You should get about 14 g of dietary fiber for every 1,000 calories you consume per day, says the CDC.