Types of starchy foods
Potatoes, bread, rice, pasta, and cereals are all examples of starchy foods and should make up just over a third of the food you eat, as shown by the Eatwell Guide(external link opens in a new window / tab) . These foods contain fewer than half the calories of fat.
What are some of the best sources of healthy carbs? Romito suggests these foods: Whole grains: Farro, quinoa, whole-grain breads and pastas, bulgar wheat, and brown or wild rice. Starchy vegetables: Potatoes (preferably with the skin), green peas, corn and winter squash like butternut or spaghetti squash.
Starchy foods and fibre
Potato skins, wholegrain bread and breakfast cereals, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta are all good sources of this kind of fibre. Fibre can help keep your bowels healthy and can help you feel full, which means you're less likely to eat too much.
Eating carbohydrate foods at night can lead to stomach bloating and also weight gain. In addition, eating rice at night can cause other problems like cold and cough. Along with this, rice should always be eaten fresh. Eating leftover rice at the next meal can also cause many problems.
If there is a fiber powerhouse, then barley is it. With a whopping 32 grams of fiber per cut, this grain can be used in place of rice in dishes like risotto or added to your favorite casserole or stew. They do take a long time to cook, but you can cut the cooking time in half by soaking it overnight.
Healthy Alternatives to Potatoes
Instead of roasting potatoes, try roasting squash, turnips, jicama, carrots, rutabaga, or radishes. They have tons of fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Use a whole grain such as quinoa, bulgur, couscous or brown rice in place of your potato. You can also add a whole grain roll where your potato would normally be. Whole grains contain fiber, which can help you feel full, lower blood sugar levels and may help lower cholesterol.
Potatoes belong to the nightshade family (Solanaceace), which also includes many other important crops like peppers, tomatoes, tomatillos, eggplant, tobacco, and more. Critical to the world's food supply, potatoes are the fourth most farmed crop. Potatoes are only distantly related to sweet potatoes.
Carbohydrates are very essential for energy production and eliminating them completely not only makes one weak as the body starts using protein by breaking down muscle to produce energy but also leads to a lot of vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
Since the frequent consumption of rice can lead to a higher risk of diabetes, it follows that eating less of it will lower your chances. Besides lowering your risk for diabetes, no rice also helps keeps your blood sugar levels in check.
"Eating refined carbs like bread, rice, pasta and cookies [in excess] will increase our belly fat. If we want to lose it, we should focus on eating nutrient- and fiber-rich carbs such as vegetables and low-glycemic fruits," says Djordjevic.
Not necessarily. Rice is also low in fat, is an easily digestible, gluten-free grain that offers a number of B vitamins as well. So you may want to re-consider banning it completely from your diet. You do need to be careful while consuming rice on a weight loss diet.
Buckwheat, or kuttu, is a good replacement for wheat as well as rice in diet because it's gluten free and has high protein content along with calcium, iron, potassium content. Buckwheat also is a good replacement for quinoa and helps you in losing weight effectively, without compromising on nutrition.
Although your usual favourite carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice, noodles and potatoes are very popular, they're not the only options. You could try grains like couscous, quinoa and barley to introduce a new flavour to your favourite dishes.
For another savory, hearty breakfast idea, Ehsani recommends eating protein-and-fiber-filled grains like brown rice and barley, which are both good sources of resistant starch. "These grains help feed the healthy gut bacteria and encourage a well-balanced microbiome," she says.