What vegetables contain starch. Separate nutrition - sugar and starch

Starch is a complex carbohydrate-polysaccharide. It is necessary for our body to function properly. Carbohydrates are the source of energy for the body. They are easily digested and are inferior in their energy value only to monosaccharides - simple carbohydrates.

Starches are of two types - natural and refined. Refined starch is a white powder, tasteless and odorless. It is used in cooking for the preparation of fruit jelly, which supply the body with a large number of kilocalories. It is made from potatoes, corn, rice, wheat and barley.

There is also modified starch, which is added to foods as a preservative. It regulates the consistency of various sauces and baby food. Some manufacturers add modified starch to low-quality meat products to retain moisture.

What foods contain starch

Almost all fruits, vegetables, legumes, and grains contain some amount of starch. It is on this that their energy value depends.

Foods high in starch:

• legumes: beans, lentils, soybeans, peas;
• cereals: corn, rice, buckwheat, chickpeas;
• root crops: potatoes, sweet potato;

Foods low in starch:

• carrot;
• beet;
• turnip;
• eggplant;
• zucchini.

Starch free foods:

• tomatoes;
• cucumbers;
• bell pepper;
• cabbage;
• leafy vegetables and greens (lettuce, sorrel, spinach).

People who are forced to monitor their blood sugar levels should be aware that some foods containing starch have a higher glycemic index than sugar. It is the ability of starch to turn into glucose that makes it potentially dangerous for people with diabetes.

But starch is a very interesting carbohydrate that tends to be absorbed at different rates. And the rate of absorption of starch depends on the method of processing and subsequent preparation of food from products containing starch.

flour products

All baked goods, even those without added sugar, have a very high glycemic index. The degree of absorption of starch and its conversion into glucose leads to a rapid jump in blood sugar levels. This should be taken into account for diabetics.

It is the processing of grains, which are rich in starch, into flour that leads to the fact that starch becomes a “fast carbohydrate” in this case.

But bread from whole grains is digested much longer, and part of the starch generally remains in its original form. Rye bread or bran pastries contain resistant starch, which can even lower blood sugar levels, but at the same time remains an excellent source of energy for the body.

The presence of fiber, which is found in wholemeal bread, contributes to the slow absorption of starch, which guarantees long-term energy production from carbohydrates. In addition, fiber cleanses the intestines, removes toxins from it.

Pasta made from durum wheat, and even prepared according to the classic Italian recipe, that is, al dente, allows starch to dissolve in the body for a long time, turning into glucose. It is the method of cooking both the pasta itself as a raw material and Italian pasta that contributes to their such property.

Starch in fruits

Colored fruits: cherries, red cherries, currants and the like, practically do not contain starch, but only traces of it - glucose monosaccharide, which practically does not raise blood sugar levels

Green apples and pears contain 0.5% starch. And if you subject them to heat treatment, such as baking, the starch is converted into pectin, fiber and glucose.

There is some starch in bananas. Its level depends on the degree of ripeness of the fruit. The greener the banana, the more starch it contains.

The healthiest starch

Useful, or resistant starch is absorbed by the human body for a long time. Carbohydrate turns into glucose for a long time with the release of a large amount of energy, which contributes to the proper functioning of the body. Thanks to this, cell division takes place in tissues and organs, metabolic processes occur. A person can do work that involves physical activity.

Resistant starch is necessary for the body in order to prevent cancer, as it has a depressing effect on cancer cells, preventing them from dividing.

Useful starch is found in large quantities in legumes. Beans and lentils are considered leaders in the content of "useful" starch.

They are followed by whole grains. Cereals such as buckwheat, rice, oats are excellent suppliers of complex carbohydrates. In addition, cereals are very tasty as a side dish for meat and fish dishes.

Potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, sweet potatoes, yams - root crops are also rich in "healthy" starch.

Resistant starch is found in small amounts in fresh vegetables and fruits, which should be included in the daily diet.

The content of carbohydrates in foods and their energy value

Product name	Quantity of starch (mg/100g)	%Daily Value
Rice	78	44
Cornflakes	74	42
Wheat flour	72	41
Pasta	70	40
Millet	69	39
White bread	66	37
Corn flour	65	37
Buckwheat	64	36
fresh corn	62	35
oats	61	34
Wheat	60	34
Barley	58	33
Banana	53	30
Rye bread	48	27
Peas	45	25
cashew nuts	23	13
pistachios	16	9
brown potato	15	8
Pumpkin seeds	14	8
Pine nuts	14	8
Carrot	14	8
White potato	13	7
Sweet potato	13	7
Almond	7	4
Hazelnut	4	2.2
Avocado	1.1	0.6
Nectarine	0.7	0.4
Walnut	0.6	0.3
Apple	0.5	0.2
strawberries	0.4	0.2
Melon	0.3	0.1

starch properties

When we eat starch-containing foods, the process of hydrolysis turns starch into glucose, which is the source of energy. Glucose is soluble and it is it that facilitates the transport of nutrients into the cell.

While refined starch lends itself well to hydrolysis due to its purified form, in its natural form it is quite difficult to digest.

That is why all food raw materials containing starch must undergo heat treatment. Products are boiled, baked, fried, steamed. This type of processing helps prepare the starch for the digestion process. In this form, it is more easily absorbed by the body.

The smaller the particles of the product, the easier the starch is digested.

That is, whole grains, cereals, legumes are a source of more "long-lasting" starch, which is absorbed longer, but at the same time it is more beneficial for the body.

It does not cause the release of glucose into the blood, and therefore raising the level of sugar.

Flour, especially wheat flour, is a source of "fast starch", which is not very useful due to the rapid absorption of glucose. Even finely chopped starchy vegetables will produce more "quick starch" when cooked than large chunks, whole or baked.

A person needs everything for a full life - proteins, carbohydrates, fats. But everything needs a measure. No matter how useful this or that substance is, its excess will necessarily lead to a malfunction.

All this fully applies to starch. Its deficiency will cause exhaustion and loss of strength. Its excess can lead to problems with the work of the cardiovascular and digestive systems.

Be attentive to your health and watch your diet. After all, our way of life envy and its quality.

Starch is a complex carbohydrate that the human body needs for its normal functioning. It can be called the most common carbohydrate in the human diet, so it's easy to tell which foods contain starch.

Starch is a reserve polysaccharide of plants, synthesized in nature under the action of light. Accumulates in the form of grains in the cells of seeds, bulbs or tubers. It is a white granular powder, insoluble in cold water, forms a paste in hot water. Starch is found in many plant foods that a person eats daily.

The role of starch in our diet

In terms of its energy value and speed of assimilation, starch is second only to monosaccharides and simple carbohydrates. In the process of digestion, it is hydrolyzed, turning into glucose. When heated, starch swells, which helps enzymes act on it during digestion in the digestive tract. The ability of starch to gelatinize is also used to give dishes a thicker consistency.

Starch has great nutritional value and is able to fully meet the human needs for glucose. In its pure form, sugar becomes an "instant" dope for a person, but its energy quickly disappears, leaving a feeling of hunger. Starch takes longer to digest, so the feeling of satiety will last longer. It is very useful to know which foods contain starch.

What foods contain starch?

Starch is a natural component of many vegetables and fruits, cereals and legumes, nuts and other plant foods that people eat. Natural starch contains:

• in grain crops (rice, wheat, corn, rye, barley);
• in root crops (potatoes);
• in legumes (lentils, beans);
• in cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, millet).

Often, some starchy foods grow only in places with a certain climate: sweet potatoes, chestnuts, bananas, breadfruit, yams, chickpeas, malanga, sago and many others.

There is also refined starch: potato, corn, wheat, rye, rice and barley. Modified starch is used to improve the quality and control the consistency of some products. For example, it is used in the production of mayonnaise, ketchup, yogurt, meat products, and is also added to confectionery.

With a deficiency of starch in the body, a breakdown is observed, and its excess leads to the appearance of fatty deposits. Therefore, it is important to eat right and observe the measure in everything.

Modern principles of proper nutrition suggest that every conscious person should know what he eats. One of the main components of our daily diet is starch, and its excess or deficiency can create real health problems, so let's try to figure out what starch is, why it is needed, where it is, and where it is not.

The value of starch for the human body

Human nutrition should be balanced in terms of replenishing the body with proteins, carbohydrates and fats. It is carbohydrates that are considered the main source of energy in the body, especially glucose, which is broken down quite easily and with a large release of heat. Glucose itself, by the way, is quite rare in its pure form in foods, and the easiest way for the body to get it is from starch, especially since it is found in a huge amount of food.

Therefore, the first property for which starchy foods should be consumed more actively is to feed the body with energy. But the benefits of foods containing starch do not end there. After all, such a substance is useful for beneficial bacteria in the intestines and increase immunity, and also helps to establish the production of gastric juice and normalize blood sugar levels.

However, sometimes it is worth adjusting the amount of starch in the diet in order to limit its amount. So, an excess of starch with a sedentary lifestyle is guaranteed to lead to weight gain, and in some cases this component provokes side effects such as flatulence or various disorders of the gastrointestinal tract. For this reason, nutritionists, after making some diagnoses, advise the patient to reduce the amount of starchy vegetables and fruits in his menu, for which they need to be known.

You should also pay attention to the fact that starch is natural and refined. The first, as is often the case with natural products, is not so harmful - it is present mainly in root crops, cereals and some vegetables. With such a diet, weight gain is likely only with gigantic portions or complete immobility, so restrictions are usually not imposed. Another thing is supplements based on refined starch, since they are very high in calories and quickly saturate, but it is very problematic to drive off the excess weight provoked by such food. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that such additives (for example, thickeners) can be present in the most unexpected products, where starch, it would seem, does not belong.

Where is this stuff?

It is very difficult to compile a complete list of starchy foods - just because of the additives that can be present virtually anywhere. For this reason, we will simply consider only those types of food that contain a lot of starch without any additives.

• Cereals. According to a popular saying, a physically weak person "ate little porridge", and all because it is in such a product that the percentage of starch content is maximum. On average, the content of this substance here is about 70-75%, which is a lot. Among popular varieties of food, there are no particular exceptions from this category. The statement about the starchyness of cereals is true for wheat and corn, rice and oats, cereals and flour from all these cereals, bakery and pasta products, even for peas and beans.

Soy products are the only exception.

• Root vegetables and some other vegetables. Horticultural fruits, especially those growing underground, are also often rich in starch, although not as radically as cereals. Garlic stands out here, where starch is as much as 26%, and from what people eat massively and in large quantities - potatoes (15-18%). Even tomatoes growing on the surface can become a source of starch, although it is relatively small here - about 5%.
• Fruits. Most fresh fruits contain very little starch, and fresh bananas are almost the only exception. Another thing is that in such food the bulk of the weight is occupied by water, and therefore, by drying the fruit, it is possible to increase the concentration of the substance in question several times. For this reason, dried fruits, especially apple, pear and apricot, are considered very high-calorie and contraindicated for those who have problems with being overweight.

Starch Free Products

If the diet requires a significant reduction in the amount of starch consumed, then most ready-made store products should be abandoned - there this ingredient is probably present in the form of one or another supplement. Surely you will have to give up cereals and pastries, as well as pasta, as well as many sauces. However, it is unlikely that at least one nutritionist will advise abandoning starch completely - after all, it represents a certain benefit for the body. The patient's task is simply to slightly reduce its intake, so that with a properly composed diet, you can even indulge in a small amount of baking.

So, non-starchy dietary products include, for example, mushrooms, but the body's main need for food will be replenished by various vegetables. The list of available options is not so limited: eggplant and broccoli, regular, Brussels sprouts and Beijing sprouts, green peas and pumpkin, cucumbers and sweet peppers. All these components will allow you not only to prepare a delicious salad without unnecessary polysaccharides, but also to treat yourself to more refined dishes like vegetable stew or even sweet pumpkin porridge.

The list of available ingredients does not end there, further go "seasonings" for the main meal: spinach and sorrel, garlic and chicory, celery greens and parsley.

Among fruits, there are also options for how to enjoy dessert and not exceed the normal dosage of starch. Of the year-round fruits, apples are the most accessible, but not all. Nutritionists advise choosing green and hard fruits, as they contain less polysaccharides. The rest of the non-starchy fruits are more likely to be seasonal, but their seasons do not coincide with each other, so the menu can be varied all year round thanks to strawberries, melons and nectarines. Of the imported, but popular in our country, fruits with a low starch content, exotic avocados can be noted.

For what a nutritionist will say about carbohydrates from non-starchy vegetables, see the next video.

Starch, which is converted into glucose when digested, is the most common form of polysaccharides in nature, so the division of vegetables into non-starchy And starchy become part of healthy diets. Initially, the division of vegetables into non-starchy and starchy was an element of the theory of separate nutrition. Physical State Calculator.

Non-starchy vegetables play a positive role for weight loss, but vice versa.

Most starch is found in root vegetables and large grains, which store nutrients to ensure the growth of the plant seed. Potatoes have the highest starch content of all vegetables - up to a fifth of the volume of a potato, which is the first reason for excluding potatoes from diets for weight loss.

To reduce the negative impact of starchy vegetables on the weight loss process, it is better to eat starchy vegetables with green non-starchy vegetables, fats (vegetable / animal), it is better not to combine them with proteins, sugar and acids. At one meal, we recommend eating no more than one type of starchy vegetables.

Complete list of starchy vegetables.

• Corn,
• Beet,
• Swede,
• Chestnut,
• Carrot,
• Dry (mature) beans, other than soybeans,
• Jerusalem artichoke,
• Potatoes (including sweet),
• radish,
• Dry (ripe) peas,
• zucchini,
• squash,
• Plant roots (parsley, parsnip, celery, horseradish),
• Pumpkin (round, autumn),
• Radish.

Vegetables that do not contain starch.

Everyone's favorite tomatoes, which make up a good tomato diet, are neither starchy nor non-starchy vegetables. It was found that the main nutritional characteristic of a tomato is acid, not the presence of starch. Due to the high content of acids (citrus, malic and oxalic) in the composition, the tomato is classified as an acidic product, and it is not recommended to eat them with starchy vegetables, but it is allowed with leafy vegetables and fats. Calorie calculator online.

List of moderately starchy vegetables.

It should be taken into account that eggplant in various interpretations is classified as both non-starchy and moderately starchy vegetables.

Complete list of non-starchy vegetables.

• Mustard,
• Green pea,
• Turnip tops and other ground green parts of edible plants,
• Beetroot leaves and chard (chard),
• Eggplant,
• Broccoli,
• Brussels sprouts,
• Chicory,
• cucumbers,
• Garlic (greens, cloves),
• Spinach,
• Chinese (Beijing) cabbage,
• Cabbage (savoy, kohlrabi, white, garden, red, fodder),
• Watercress and watercress
• Celery (greens)
• Bell pepper,
• Asparagus,
• Summer pumpkin (yellow oblong),
• Lettuce and other leaf lettuce,
• Onion (shallot, bulb, chives, leek, leek),
• dandelion green,
• Okra,
• okra,
• Parsley (greens) and other table herbs,
• bamboo shoots,
• colza (greens),
• Sorrel.

The diet of the peoples of the world is based on foods containing starch. In our country it is wheat and potatoes, in China and India it is rice, in Central and South America it is corn. There is a lot of energy in starchy foods, but they do not participate in the construction of body tissues. Animal starch is healthier than vegetable starch. In some cases, both varieties can be harmful.

Composition and types of starch

The substance belongs to complex (polysaccharides), it contains residues of glucose molecules. It is poorly soluble in water, which helps to perform the main function - to retain nutrients for a long time.

Plants with its help accumulate energy reserves, form tiny grains in greenery.

Hydrolysis processes convert starchy grains into water-soluble sugars (glucose). Through cell membranes, they penetrate into various parts of the plant. Glucose feeds the sprout when it emerges from the seed.

When chewing foods containing starch, saliva partially breaks it down to maltose (complex sugar). Under the action of pancreatic secretion, the process is completed in the small intestine.

Vegetable products with starch bring maximum benefit if they are not consumed in cereals or soaked, but chewed thoroughly, not washed down.

• Before eating, it is useful to grind whole grains, add the resulting powder to a vegetable salad.

Animals store glucose in the liver and muscles in the form of glycogen (animal starch). Its slow hydrolysis keeps the blood constant between meals.

vegetable starches

Potato. This product has a high absorption rate. It breaks down to glucose 10-12 times faster than starchy cereals and grains (several hours).

Rapid absorption is facilitated by a thin oily layer under the skin of young potatoes. As a rule, it is cut off during cleaning. This is also why potatoes baked in their skins or boiled in their skins are useful.

Most potato dishes are quickly evacuated by the body; they do not burden the function of the digestive organs.

Rice. The product is rich in starch, has an astringent effect. Cooked without oil, rice is useful for diseases of the genitourinary system, enhances lactation, soothes, improves complexion. Round rice has the most starch, so the grains boil and stick together.

Wheat. Products with wheat are useful in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dissolution of salts in the genitourinary system, and have a vasodilating effect. Outwardly baths with starch are used to get rid of itching, with children's diathesis.

Rye. Products are used in diabetes mellitus, to enhance resistance, bind and remove harmful substances.

Oat. Kissels and other products help to cope with physical and intellectual overwork. Remove excess, help with diabetes, anemia, insomnia.

Corn. Products have a rejuvenating effect. The extract from the grains prevent the development of tumors. It is used as a choleretic agent or to increase blood clotting.

animal starch

In fact, vegetable starch is nothing more than organic glue. If you forget to wash the plate after porridge or potatoes, only hot water and a hard brush remove hardened food residues.

The complex formula of vegetable starch contains glucose, which is the body's main source of energy. Its chemical formula consists of the same elements as glycogen, but their spatial arrangement in plant and animal varieties is different.

Therefore, enzymes designed to break down glycogen do not completely break down glucose from the plant variety.

Such food is more difficult to digest, and by-products of cleavage accumulate in the body. They require additional energy costs for their removal. Accumulated harmful substances cause atherosclerosis, osteochondrosis, and other diseases.

Some researchers believe that diabetes mellitus develops as a result of the depletion of the enzyme system during many years of processing vegetable starch. It is not the level of glucose ("sugar") that increases in the blood, but the amount of products of incomplete breakdown. They clog tissue and disrupt microcirculation.

More useful to the body starch contains the liver of animals or fish, in which up to 10% glycogen.

Therefore, the less you consume starchy foods, the more health. Arnold Ehret wrote about the dangers of foods containing starch in the early twentieth century in his book The Healing System of the Mucusless Diet.

List and table of foods containing starch

Vegetables and fruits contain up to 10% carbohydrates. When apples ripen, the amount of starch increases, and during storage it decreases. There is a lot of it in green bananas, in ripe ones it turns into sugar.

The largest amount of starch in products from cereals, legumes, rice. The proportion recommended by nutritionists is 10% of the daily diet.

Non-starchy and green vegetables: cabbage, cucumbers, turnips, carrots, sweet peppers, onions, parsley, pumpkin.

Table of foods that contain starch

Product (100g)	Starch content, g
cereals
Rice	75
Corn	65
oats	61
Buckwheat	60
Wheat	60
Millet	59
Barley	58
Rye	54
Flour
Rice	79
barley	71
Wheat	70
corn	65
Dishes
Pasta	72
Kashi	55
Kiseli	50
White bread	47
Rye bread	44
Legumes
chickpeas	50
Peas	48
Lentils	41
Soya	35
Beans	27
Vegetables
Potato	18,2
Swede	18
radish	15
Beet	14
Pumpkin	2
Garlic	2
Parsley	1,2
Eggplant	0,9
celery root	0,6
Cabbage	0,5
Tomato	0,3
Radish	0,3
Turnip	0,3
Carrot	0,2
Bulb onions	0,1
Cucumber	0,1
Sweet pepper	0,1
Fruits
Bananas	7
Apples	0,80
Black currant	0,60
Pear	0,50
Strawberry	0,10
Plum fresh	0,10

Harm starch

Cereals are the most difficult to digest, even when boiled. Products from them cause fermentation and gas formation.

Grains, cereals, starchy foods are contraindicated in young children, because they do not produce the necessary enzymes. Even in a two-year-old, they are less active compared to an adult's body.

Therefore, before the age of two, it is better to prefer fruits to starchy foods - prunes, dates. They are easily digested, give enough energy, do not require long digestion.

Modified: 02/11/2019