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Starch (Starchy Foods)(1,2)
Breads, cereals, grains (including pasta and rice), starchy vegetables, crackers and snacks, and beans, peas and lentils are starches. In general 1 starch choice is:
» ½ cup of cooked cereal, grain or starchy vegetable
» ⅓ cup of cooked rice or pasta
» 1 oz of a bread product, such as 1 slice of bread
» ¾ to 1 oz of most snack foods (some snack foods may also have extra fat)
| One starch choice has 15 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat and 80 calories. |
| BREAD | |
| FOOD | SERVING SIZE |
| Bagel | ¼ large (1 oz) |
| Biscuit* | 1 biscuit (2 ½ inches across) |
| Breads, loaf-type | |
|
White, whole-grain, French, Italian, pumpernickel, rye, sourdough, unfrosted raisin or cinnamon
|
1 slice (1 oz) |
|
Reduced-calorie, light
|
2 slices (1 ½ oz) |
| Breads, flat-type (flatbreads) | |
|
Chapatti
|
1 oz |
|
Ciabatta
|
1 oz |
|
Naan
|
3 ¼-inch square (1 oz) |
|
Pita
|
½ pita (6 inches across) |
|
Roti
|
1 oz |
|
Sandwich flat buns, whole-wheat
|
1 bun, including top and bottom (1 ½ oz) |
|
Taco shell*
|
2 taco shells (each 5 inches across) |
|
Tortilla, corn
|
1 small tortilla (6 inches across) |
|
Tortilla, flour (white or whole-wheat)
|
1 small tortilla (6 inches across) or ⅓ large tortilla (10 inches across) |
| Cornbread | 1 ¾ inch cube (1 ½ oz) |
| English muffin | ½ muffin |
| Hot dog bun or hamburger bun | ½ bun (¾ oz) |
| Pancake | 1 pancake (4 inches across, ¼ inch thick) |
| Roll, plain | 1 small roll (1 oz) |
| Stuffing, bread* | ⅓ cup |
| Waffle | 1 waffle (4 inches square or 4 inches across) |
| * Count as 1 starch choice + 1 fat choice (1 starch choice + 5 grams of fat) | |
| CEREALS | |
| FOOD | SERVING SIZE |
| Bran cereal (twigs, buds or flakes) | ½ cup |
| Cooked cereals (oats, oatmeal) | ½ cup |
| Granola cereal | ¼ cup |
| Grits, cooked | ½ cup |
| Muesli | ¼ cup |
| Puffed cereal | 1 ½ cups |
| Shredded wheat, plain | ½ cup |
| Sugar-coated cereal | ½ cup |
| Unsweetened, read-to-eat cereal | ¾ cup |
| GRAINS (INCLUDING PASTA AND RICE) | |
| Unless otherwise indicated, serving sizes listed are for cooked grains. | |
| FOOD | SERVING SIZE |
| Barley | ⅓ cup |
| Bran, dry | |
|
Oat
|
¼ cup |
|
Wheat
|
½ cup |
| Bulgur | ½ cup |
| Couscous | ⅓ cup |
| Kasha | ½ cup |
| Millet | ⅓ cup |
| Pasta, white or whole-wheat (all shapes and sizes) | ⅓ cup |
| Polenta | ⅓ cup |
| Quinoa, all colors | ⅓ cup |
| Rice, white, brown and other colors and types | ⅓ cup |
| Tabbouleh (tabouli), prepared | ½ cup |
| Wheat germ, dry | 3 tbsp |
| Wild rice | ½ cup |
| CRACKERS AND SNACKS | |
| Note — some snacks are high in fat. Always check food labels. | |
| FOOD | SERVING SIZE |
| Crackers | |
|
Animal
|
8 crackers |
|
Crispbread
|
2 to 5 pieces (¾ oz) |
|
Graham
|
3 (each 2 ½ inch squares) |
|
Nut and rice
|
10 crackers |
|
Oyster
|
20 crackers |
|
Round, butter-type*
|
6 crackers (~1 oz) Note: Remember to add fat exchange |
|
Saltine-type
|
6 crackers |
|
Sandwich-style, cheese or peanut butter filling*
|
3 crackers |
|
Whole-wheat, baked
|
5 regular (1 ½ inch squares) or 10 thins (¾ oz) |
| Granola or snack bar | 1 bar (¾ oz) |
| Matzoh, all shapes and sizes | ¾ oz |
| Melba toast | 4 pieces (each about 2 by 4 inches) |
| Popcorn | |
|
No fat added
|
3 cups |
|
With butter added**
|
3 cups |
| Pretzels | ¾ oz |
| Rice cakes | 2 cakes (4 inches across) |
| Snack chips | |
|
Baked (potato, pita)
|
~8 chips (¾ oz) |
|
Regular (tortilla, potato)**
|
~13 chips (1 oz) |
| * Count as 1 starch choice + 1 fat choice (1 starch choice + 5 grams of fat) ** Count as 1 starch choice + 2 fat choices (1 starch choice + 10 grams of fat) |
|
| Note — for other snacks, see the Sweets, Desserts and Other Carbohydrate List. | |
| TIP An open handful is equal to about 1 cup or 1 to 2 oz of snack food |
|
| STARCHY VEGETABLES | |
| All of the serving sizes for starchy vegetables on this list are for cooked vegetables. | |
| FOOD | SERVING SIZE |
| Breadfruit | ¼ cup |
| Cassava or dasheen | ⅓ cup |
| Corn | ½ cup |
|
Corn on cob
|
4 to 4 ½ inch piece (½ large cob) |
| Hominy | ¾ cup |
| Mixed vegetables with corn or peas | 1 cup |
| Marinara, pasta or spaghetti sauce | ½ cup |
| Parsnips | ½ cup |
| Peas, green | ½ cup |
| Plantain | ⅓ cup |
| Potato | |
|
Baked with skin
|
¼ large potato (3 oz) |
|
Boiled, all kinds
|
½ cup or ½ medium potato (3 oz) |
|
Mashed, with milk and fat*
|
½ cup |
|
French-fried (oven-baked)
|
1 cup (2 oz) |
| Pumpkin puree, canned, no added | ¾ cup |
| Squash, winter (acorn, butternut) | 1 cup |
| Succotash | ½ cup |
| Yam or sweet potato, plain | ½ cup (3 ½ oz) |
| * Count as 1 starch choice + 1 fat choice (1 starch choice + 5 grams of fat) | |
| Note — restaurant-style French fries are on the Fast Foods List. | |
| BEANS, PEAS AND LENTILS | ||
| The choices on this list count as 1 starch choice + 1 lean protein choice. One lean protein choice has 7 grams of protein, 2 grams of fat and 45 calories. |
||
| FOOD | SERVING SIZE | CHOICES PER SERVING |
| Baked beans, canned | ⅓ cup | 1 starch + 1 lean protein |
| Beans (black, garbanzo, kidney, lima, navy, pinto, white), cooked or canned, drained and rinsed |
½ cup | 1 starch + 1 lean protein |
| Lentils (any color), cooked | ½ cup | 1 starch + 1 lean protein |
| Peas (black-eyed and split), cooked or canned, drained and rinsed | ½ cup | 1 starch + 1 lean protein |
| Refried beans, canned | ½ cup | 1 starch + 1 lean protein |
| Note — beans, lentils and peas are also found in the protein list. | ||
| TIP Canned beans, lentils, and peas can be high in sodium (salt). Drained and rinsing them reduces the sodium content by a least 40%. |
||
Nutrition Tips
» A choice on the Starch list has 15 grams of carbohydrate, 3 grams of protein, 1 gram of fat and 80 calories.
» For health benefits, at least half of your servings of grains each day should be whole grains.
Selection Tips
» Choose starches that are low in fat as often as possible.
» Starchy vegetables, baked goods and grains that are prepared with fat count as 1 starch choice and 1 fat choice.
» For many starchy foods (bagels, muffins, dinner rolls, buns), a general rule of thumb is 1 oz equals 1 choice. Because of their large size, some foods have more carbohydrate and calories than you might think. For example, a large bagel may weigh 4 oz and equal 4 starch choices.
» For information about a specific food, read the Nutrition Facts panel on its food label.
Permission to reprint. Food Lists only, taken from Choose Your Foods: Food Lists for Diabetes © 2014 978-0-88091-387-4 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
References
1. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Diabetes Association. Choose Your Foods Food Lists for Diabetes. USA: 2014.
2. Mahan KL, Raymond JL, eds. Krause’s Food and The Nutrition Care Process. 14th ed. St Louis. Mo: Elsevier; 2017.