Starch is one of the three components of carbohydrates, along with sugars and fiber. Fiber can help you feel fuller for longer, but both sugars and starches can add a lot of calories to your diet and can wreak havoc on your blood sugar levels. Eliminating starches from your diet means cutting out all potatoes, corn, peas and other starchy vegetables, as well as all grains, including rice, pasta, breads, breakfast cereals and baked goods. With a few tweaks to your usual meals, you can design a delicious starch-free meal plan.
Breakfast
For breakfast, your starch-free meal plan should include nonstarchy vegetables, fruits, protein and fats. For example, you could mix Greek yogurt or cottage cheese with berries and almond butter. A smoothie is another good idea for a quick breakfast on the go. You can prepare it the night before by blending milk, yogurt, half a banana, a handful of raspberries, flax seeds and peanut butter. You can even add a few slices of avocado for a creamier texture. Alternatively, you can have scrambled eggs with red bell pepper, mushrooms and goat cheese with a serving of watermelon. All of these foods are highly nutritious and free of starch.
Lunch
If you usually bring a sandwich for your lunch, you can swap the bread for lettuce to make a starch-free lunch. Use a few lettuce leaves to wrap your tuna mixed with celery and mayonnaise or chicken mixed with sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and your favorite salad dressing. You could also prepare starch-free sushi by making your own sushi without rice. Soak your nori sheets a few seconds in water to hydrate them. Spread cream cheese and add slices of cucumber, bell pepper or avocado, along with either cooked shrimp or raw or smoked salmon. Roll it up, and you have a perfect lunch. Complete your lunch with a serving of plain yogurt mixed with fruits.
Dinner
For your starch-free dinner, simply combine any nonstarchy vegetables with a source of protein and a dose of fat. For example, you could stir-fry chicken strips with broccoli, onions and cauliflower in sesame oil and serve it with tamari sauce. You could also have a steak, salmon or pork chops with green beans or asparagus cooked in olive oil or topped with butter. For a starch-free pizza, use grilled eggplant slices or portobello mushroom caps as a base. You can also have starch-free spaghetti by using spaghetti squash or grated zucchini.
Snacks
Most snack foods contain a lot of starch. To stick to your starch-free meal plan, make sure you always have nuts available. Keep some in your drawer at work, in your purse, in your car or gym bag. Choose among almonds, walnuts, pistachios, macadamia nuts, cashews or a mixture of nuts and seeds. Hard-boiled eggs, cheese, yogurt or fruits are good starch-free snack options. You can spread peanut butter on celery sticks or apple slices, have cheese with a serving of grapes or mix plain yogurt or cottage cheese with any of your favorite fruits.
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