Our starchy foods

Our Daily Starchy Foods

Starchy foods are main source of carbohydrate as nutritional value and play an important role in a healthy diet.  They comprise starch, sugars and  fibers.

Why do we need starchy foods?

Starchy foods are a good source of energy in our diet.  Starchy foods additionally contain calcium, iron, B vitamins and fibers.  This is very good to have 10 to 20% starch from raw or uncooked foods.  We should try to take most of the starchy food from raw vegetables, fruits, salads instead of cooked cereals food.  Starchy foods such as apples,  carrots, potatoes,  oats and pulses may help reduce cholesterol in the blood. This type of foods has fiber which helps in digestion also.Starchy food are acidic in nature therefore one should take low quantity of starchy foods.One should not have more than 20% of acidic foods in their diet. 

Main sources of starch:

Grains, beans, legumes and vegetables are the main sources of starch.  We often get starchy food in form of bread, pasta, rice, couscous, potatoes, oats, rye, barley and porridge.  Ideally starchy foods should be one fourth of the food we eat.  Fruits and vegetables are not given their rightful place in human dietary as intended by the nature as purifiers of body.  Now-a-days processed starchy, sugary, protein and fatty foods are eaten in quantities much more than needs of body, resulting in ill-health and diseases.

Tips to eat starchy foods:

      Wholegrain cereals or mixed with our favorite healthy breakfast cereals should be included in our daily diet.

      Plain porridge with fruits is perfect breakfast in winter.

      Whole oats with fruits and low-fat, lower sugar yoghurt make a great summer breakfast.

      Try baked potatoes with skin for lunch for more fibers. 

      Rice and pasta with vegetables should be taken in dinner.

      Try different breads, such as seeded whole meal and grainary.

      Opt for whole grain varieties so that amount of fiber may be increased.  Try brown-rice it makes a very tasty rice salad.

Sensible diet:

If health is to be regained benefit should be derived from the food.  Man must again learn, what to eat?when to eat and how much of each food to eat? in accordance with the needs and requirements of his body.We must eat simple, unspoiled pure foods, not the commercialized products. Fresh fruits and green vegetables are essential in much large quantities than at present in use, if health is to be maintained.  Only very definite and limited quantities of starchy, sugary, protein and fatty foods are required daily by the system for its work.  

Some of the best among starchy foods:

1.    Dry fruits; raisin, dates, pistachio nut, pine nut, almonds.

2.   Most of the fruits; mango, guava, banana, apple, tomato, orange, plum, cucumber, melon and water melon.

3.   Vegetables leaves eaten raw or cooked on fire: gram’s green leaves, mustard green leaves, amaranthus, bathua (chenopodium album) etc.

4.   Sweet potato, potatoes, brinjal, jack fruit, yam etc. roasted  and eaten.

5.   Salads that are eaten raw: radish, turnip, tomato, carrot, beetroot, salad leaves and onion.

6.   Green wheat, green gram, green peas, green barley, green maize seed can be roasted and eaten.

7.   Gram, wheat, raw ground nut and mung can be eaten as germinated seeds.