Often singled out as the enemy of weight loss, carbohydrates are actually a group of macronutrients essential for our bodies, which can be divided into three main categories: sugar, fibre and starch......READ THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Of these, starch is probably the most widely consumed type. It can be found in such common, everyday foods as cereal grains and tubers. In addition, complex carbohydrates, of which it is a member along with glycogen, have traditionally been considered healthier, as they release sugar into the blood gradually rather than rapidly.
However, many of the starches people eat today are found in highly refined foods. Which is why, although they are classed as fast-absorbing carbohydrates, they can cause blood sugar levels to rise rapidly.
Having been stripped of almost all their nutrients and fibre, they contain empty calories and provide little nutritional benefit. This is obviously unhealthy, as many studies have shown that eating a diet rich in refined starches is linked to an increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease and weight gain.
Here are some of the foods that are considered to be high in starch:
Corn flour
Maize flour is a type of coarse flour made by grinding dried maize kernels. Although maize flour contains some nutrients, it is very rich in carbohydrates and starch. In a serving of 100 grams, 74 of them are starch.
In contrast, if we take unprocessed maize, the starch content is considerably lower, at about 18 grams per 100-gram serving. Despite this, it is still one of the vegetables with the highest proportion of this carbohydrate.
Wheat flour
Whole wheat has three key components. The outer layer is known as the bran, the germ is the reproductive part of the grain and the endosperm is its food supply. White flour is obtained by stripping whole wheat of its bran and germ, which are full of nutrients and fibre.
This processing makes this flour particularly nutrient-poor and mostly contains empty calories, as well as conferring a high starch content, which can be as high as 68 grams per 100 grams of product.
Consequently, products made from white wheat flour are often also high in starch. For example, bread contains around 40 grams of starch per 100 gram portion; crackers can increase this proportion to 70 grams.
Rice
Rice is the most widely consumed staple food in the world. It is also high in starch, especially in its raw form. For every 100 grams of raw rice, we will find about 28 grams of starch. However, when rice is cooked, the starch content drops drastically. In the presence of heat and water, starch molecules absorb water and swell.
Pasta
Pasta is usually made from durum wheat and takes many different forms, such as spaghetti, macaroni and fettuccine, just to name a few.
Like rice, pasta has less starch when cooked because it gels with heat and water. For example, 100 grams of dry spaghetti contains a total of 62 grams of starch, whereas when cooked, the proportion drops to around 26 grams.
Potatoes
Another of the most versatile foods and one that can be found in any household. These tubers do not contain as much starch as flours, baked goods or cereals, but they do contain more starch than other vegetables.
For example, 100 grams of baked potato contains around 15-20 grams of starch.
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