How to Avoid Starchy Foods

Starchy foods, also called grains, include breads, pasta, potatoes and rice. These foods are important to your overall health because of their nutritional benefits, such as vitamin E and B. However, not all starches are created equally. Refined grains, such as white bread or white rice, come from refined flour designed to last longer, but without most of the nutritional benefits. Whole grains have half the calories of fat and many vitamins and fiber. Eating these grains will not make you gain weight and can help you reach your weight loss goals.

Instructions

1

Ditch the low-carbohydrate diets. Like anything else in life, you can have too much of a good thing. Many recent fad diets advocate cutting out starchy foods entirely. While you may see short-term weight loss, in the long term these diets are higher in fat and you will gain all the weight back. Worse, in the process you've missed important nutrients and fiber.

2

Substitute for the right starches. Starchy foods are part of a healthy eating plan. Choose whole grain starches such as barley, brown bread, whole grain rice or whole grain pasta. These are easy substitutions and readily available products.

3

Try new starches. Beyond the usual options listed above, try a range of whole grain starches to add more nutrients and meal options to your everyday routine. Delicious choices include squash, lentils, peas, couscous, cornmeal or sweet potatoes. Oatmeal is a great way to start a chilly day.

4

Get the right amount of starches. These foods contain carbohydrates, nutrients and fiber necessary for your body to function. Starches should account for about a third of your diet.

5

Plan healthy starches into all your meals. Instead of treating starches as a separate category of meals, make them the foundation of your meal planning. Add lentils to your stews or add try crushed oats as a coating for chicken. Some whole grains, especially rice, take longer to cook. Cook many servings and freeze the leftovers after they cool.