According to the results of the Nutrinet-Santé study published in 2013, 35.4% of men and 65.9% of women have starch intakes below the nutritional recommendations. Starchy foods are foods that “mainly provide complex carbohydrates providing energy that is gradually released in the body” (PNNS).
A fuel to be satiated for a long time
According to the PNNS, starchy foods are interesting “because they provide us with ‘complex carbohydrates’ which, unlike the simple carbohydrates in sugary foods (sweetened drinks, confectionery, pastries, etc.), provide energy that the body is capable of ‘use gradually’ and that they ‘are a good way to avoid weight gain, since they allow you to hold between meals and prevent snacking’. The PNNS concludes that it should be eaten “at each meal according to one’s appetite”. But from there to swallowing a plate of bolo spaghetti, bread and a semolina cake for dessert…
All starches are equal
Fake: a plate of white rice and a plate of lentils have absolutely nothing to do with each other. For example, a 200g serving of white rice provides 5g of protein and 2g of fibre. A 200 g portion of lentils provides about as many calories, but it contains 16 g of protein and 8.4 g of fiber. And we must also take into account the notion ofglycemic index.The low glycemic index starches, such as basmati rice, pulses or sourdough bread, “digest slowly and provide a lasting feeling of satiety”, explains Angélique Houlbert, dietitian-nutritionist. Starchy foods with a high glycemic index (white bread, quick-cooking rice , pasta or potatoes), “raise blood sugar and digest quickly, specifies Angélique Houlbert. In addition, the more a starch has a high glycemic index, the higher the blood sugar rises and the more insulin is secreted. As a result, fat is stored, especially in the stomach. However, being overweight is never a very good sign of cardiovascular health”.
You have to eat it with every meal.
Right wrong “When eating starchy foods at every meal is a dietary habit and you can’t do without it, why not, answers Angélique Houlbert. But starches, morning, noon and evening, it is not obligatory. Especially since some are digested so quickly that it amounts to swallowing sugar plain and simple. Also, when people are told to eat starches at every meal, they consider it important to eat plenty of them. You have to be careful with the quantities. Three to four spoonfuls of cooked starches, or even six maximum, or a small piece of good bread per meal, is more than enough. »
They help manage weight
It depends which ones“Those are the proteins that provide satiety“, insists Angélique Houlbert. “To assert that by eating starchy foods, you will not be hungry and you will not snack, this is not necessarily true. In the morning, swallow a slice of white bread, then a potato salad for lunch, that’s not what will stall you. Quickly digested, these starchy foods prevent neither hunger nor weight gain. “A point of view that does not share Emmanuelle Kesse, epidemiologist of nutrition:” A dish of pasta will always be more satisfying than a plate of green beans. However, banning this category of foods on the pretext that they make you fat is a serious mistake. You can hold on a little with green beans, but only a little. The risk is to feel so frustrated that you have to compensate by turning to more fatty products, snacking between meals or throwing yourself on food once at the table. So we don’t forbid starchy foods, but we choose them well.
Our Experts: Angélique Houlbert, dietician-nutritionist, co-author of the “New IG diet” (ed. Thierry Souccar)
Emmanuelle Kesse nutrition epidemiologist at the Ile-de-France Human Nutrition Research Center (Inserm/Inra/Cnam/Paris 13)
Read also:
Starches do not make you fat!
Nutrition: everything you need to know about carbohydrates
Good reasons to eat whole grains
