Diets that limit starchy foods help you reduce your calorie intake from carbohydrates and control your blood sugar. Avoiding starchy foods for six weeks may help you lose weight, according to a small study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceeding of November 2003. Starchy foods contribute valuable nutrients to your diet, however, so you don't need to eliminate them completely.
Grains and Grain Products
Refined grain products are among the foods highest in starch. These include white bread, bagels, English muffins, crackers, pastries, white pasta, white rice, corn meal, pearl barley and couscous. Whole grains and whole grain products contain less starch and more fiber, making them healthier food choices. Whole-grain breads, brown rice, wild rice, oats, buckwheat and millet are examples of whole grains. Corn, however, is high in starch despite being a whole grain.
Vegetables
Starchy vegetables contain up to three times more carbohydrates than non-starchy vegetables, note experts from the University of Idaho. Several root vegetables, such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yams and parsnips, are high in starch. Carrots, beets and radishes, however, are non-starchy root vegetables. Many squashes, including pumpkin, acorn squash and butternut squash, contain large amounts of starch. Summer squash and zucchini are less starchy options.
Legumes
Although legumes contain significant amounts of starch, much of this is resistant starch, which behaves as a beneficial dietary fiber. Legumes are also rich in protein and fiber. Legumes like green peas, lentils, kidney beans, lima beans and pinto beans are among the starchiest legumes. For less starchy legumes, try Italian beans and wax beans. Black beans are also a healthy choice because they're particularly rich in fiber and resistant starch.
Starches in Your Diet
In a balanced diet, 45 to 65 percent of your calories should come from carbohydrates, according to experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because many carbohydrate foods contain starch, a healthy diet should include some starch. If you have diabetes and use the "plate method" to portion your foods, at each meal you can fill one quarter of a 9-inch plate with a starch food no more than 1/2-inch high. Options include bread, legumes and starchy vegetables, but not non-starchy vegetables. Whether or not you have a health condition, for optimal nutrition, choose starch foods high in fiber and low in fat.
References
- Harvard School of Public Health: The Nutrition Source Food Pyramids: What Should You Really Eat?
- MayoClinic.com; Exchange List: Starches; May 2010
- University of Idaho: The Healthy Diabetes Plate: Starch Group
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: ACES News; Legumes Better Fiber Source Says U of I Study on Resistant Starch; Bob Sampson; February 2001
- MayoClinic.com; Exchange List: Nonstarchy Vegetables; May 2010
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Nutrition for Everyone: Carbohydrates
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