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Your Guide to Starches

🌱 Legumes (beans and peas)

While they’re also rich in protein and fiber, legumes are starch–dominant:

• Lentils (all types: green, brown, red)
• Chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• Black beans
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Navy beans
• White beans (cannellini, Great Northern)
• Adzuki beans
• Lima beans
• Mung beans
• Soybeans (edamame is less starchy but still some)
• Split peas

🥜 Other starchy plant foods

• Chestnuts (unique among nuts — high starch, low fat)
• Lotus root
• Water chestnuts

❗ Foods that are mostly starch, but often processed

• Whole-grain breads and pastas (still starch-based but often higher in calorie density and easier to overeat)
• Whole-grain tortillas
• Whole-grain noodles (soba, udon, etc.)

✅ Key points

• Choose whole, intact starches whenever possible (e.g., whole potatoes rather than fries, whole brown rice rather than white rice when you want more fiber).
• Starches are complex carbohydrates — they digest more slowly than simple sugars and provide longer-lasting energy.
• Don’t fear them: they’re the foundation of traditional healthy diets worldwide (think Okinawa sweet potatoes, Andean potatoes, African yams, Asian rice, Mediterranean barley).

Quick tip: If you’re planning meals or helping others, focus on a variety of these starches throughout the week. Rotate grains, tubers & legumes – you’ll cover different nutrients & keep things interesting.

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