The starch group incorporates everything from breads to cereal to snack foods and even starchy vegetables. The trickiest part with starches is to know how many servings you should eat each day and what a serving size truly is. Limit your intake of refined starches as much as possible.
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Credit: ©iStockphoto.com/yungshu chao 2007
| Food | Size of a Serving |
|---|---|
| Breads and Sides | |
| 100% whole-grain bread | 1 slice |
| 100% whole-grain cereal | 1/2 cup |
| Cooked steel-cut oatmeal | 1/2 cup |
| Cooked whole-grain pasta | 1/2 cup |
| Cooked brown or wild rice | 1/3 cup |
| Cooked whole-grain couscous | 1/3 cup |
| Cooked quinoa | 1/2 cup |
| Whole-grain tortillas | One 6-inch tortilla |
| Whole-grain English muffin | Half of a muffin |
| Whole-grain pita | Half of a 6-inch pita |
| Whole-grain bagel | A quarter of a large, deli-size bagel |
| Whole-grain flour | 3 tablespoons |
| Snack Foods | |
| Air-popped popcorn | 3 cups |
| Whole-grain pretzels | 3/4 cup |
| Whole-grain crackers | 6 crackers (or 1 ounce) |
| Whole-grain baked chips | 15 chips |
| Graham crackers | 3 squares |
| Dark chocolate (equals 1 starch + 1 fat serving) | 1 ounce |
| Starchy Vegetables | |
| Cooked corn | 1/2 cup |
| Corn on the cob | 1 medium ear |
| Cooked beans and lentils | 1/2 cup |
| Cooked peas | 1/2 cup |
| Plantains | 1/2 cup |
| Baked russet potato | 3 ounces |
| Baked sweet potato | 3 ounces |
| Cooked winter squash | 1 cup |
| Refined Starches | |
| White or Italian bread | 1 slice |
| White rice | 1/3 cup |
| White rice cakes | 2 large cakes |
| Cookies (1 starch + 2 fats) | One 2-1/4-inch cookie |
| Ice cream (lowfat) or frozen yogurt (1 starch + 1 fat) | 1/2 cup |
| White flour | 3 tablespoons |
| Sugar, syrup, jelly, or honey | 1 tablespoon |
