Starchy foods should make up just over ⅓ of the food that we eat. These are a source of energy, as well as nutrients. The high fibre content of starchy foods, as well as their iron, calcium and B vitamin content, makes starchy foods a very important food group for general health.

Some examples of starchy foods include:

• Potatoes
• Bread
• Rice
• Pasta
• Cereal

If you can, you should choose to eat wholegrain varieties as much as possible, and the skin should be left on potatoes to add more fibre to the diet.

Tips when eating starchy foods:

• Instead of eating chips, try having oven baked potato wedges
• Consider trying seeded, granary or wholemeal bread, rather than white
• Brown rice is a great option instead of white rice
• When making mashed potato, use lower fat milk, for example semi skimmed, instead of whole milk
• When boiling potatoes, some nutrients leak out from the potato into the water, especially if they have been peeled. To reduce this, only use enough water to cover them, and don’t cook them for longer than they need.