These four foods might not be as yummy or as satisfying as a nice bowl of pasta, but when prepared the right way these four starches can mean the difference between walking away from your plate hungry and feeling full and satisfied with the added bonus of knowing you did your body good!
“Safe starches” such as potatoes (especially sweet potatoes) and other starchy tubers are therefore a perfectly acceptable element of a healthy, evolutionarily-based diet for someone with no (or few) metabolic problems.
- Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an amazingly versatile vegetable! Higher in vitamin A and C than it’s cousin the white potato, they can be baked, then split open and drizzled with a little butter or pureed and used in soup or mashed with garlic, cumin, chili powder and a little lime for an ethnic twist. They can be cubed and baked till crisp as an easy side addition to any meal whether it is breakfast or dinner. If you are craving something sweet they are considered a great low calorie meal option.
Most people should have no problems eating 15-20% of calories as starch
- Plaintains
Have you ever seen those giant green bananas at your local grocer and wondered what was hiding inside? Well it’s the same vitamins you’d find in a sweet potato. Starchy but low in sugar this member of the banana family is a great, healthy choice. They can be sliced thin and then flattened with a mallet and fried in a little bit of coconut oil then lightly salted and added to any meal!
- Squash
Butternut squash or spaghetti squash are two great options. Butternut squash can be prepared much like sweet potatoes, pureed or baked or added in chunks in soup. What’s great about spaghetti squash is it can be cut open and baked the insides shred up just like pasta. It’s a great way to trick yourself into thinking it’s the real deal without any of the guilt!
Not all carbohydrate-rich foods contain toxins or antinutrients and some are even high in nutrients.
Squashes taste delicious in soup, or simply roasted with spices.
Spaghetti squash can replace traditional pasta in any kind of dish – or try it baked with some sweet potatoes and spices for an easy, portable addition to any meal.
Pumpkin pie is easy to make Paleo: just leave off the crust, or make your own from Paleo ingredients.
- Carrots
This vegetable is a favorite in my house! I like to roast them coated in balsamic, olive oil and diced garlic until tender and slightly crispy on the edges. Sometimes I replace the balsamic with chili powder and when they are done cooking I toss them in a little lime juice and lime zest for a tropical flavor.
So instead of pairing whatever protein you have on the menu for the evening with a pot of rice or a big hunk of bread try serving it with one of these great good starch options and see how you feel. My guess is you won’t miss the complex carbohydrates. In fact you will see that healthy options, when prepared the right way, are just as satisfying. Now while I don’t plan on taking the full Paleo plunge (I like garbanzo beans too much!) I do see the benefit of balance, which is why I will continue cooking with the great options on this list.
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