What is starchy food?

starch processing line

Starchy foods are rich providers of complex carbohydrates. They are a potent source of fiber essential to facilitate digestion. Besides, starch ought to constitute a third of a well-rounded meal.

Carbohydrates are one of the most vital nutrients required for growth and nourishment of the body. There are three common types of carbohydrates: (1) Sugars; (2) Starch; and (3) Dietary fibers. Starch, also known as amylum, contains a large number of glucose units held together by glycosidic bonds. It is considered to be the most important carbohydrate in the human diet, as man is largely dependent on starch for obtaining maximum energy needed to carry out different life processes. About one-third of the daily diet ought to comprise starchy foods.

All green plants have the ability to produce starch as an energy store. Depending on the plant, starch contains, approximately 20 to 25% amylose with the rest being amylopectin. Starch that is obtained from plants is digested by the human body, with the help of an enzyme known as gastric amylase. The digested starch is then stored in the animal cells in the form of glycogen.

Starchy food