Make starchy food part of most meals!
These foods are usually the largest part of most meals and you can eat them daily. Commonly eaten starchy foods include mealie meal, bread, rice, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pasta, breakfast cereal, mabella and oats. Most of these foods are cheaper than other foods. In South Africa maize meal and bread flour are fortified by law. This means that they have extra vitamins and minerals added to them. The nutrients that are added are ones that many people are not getting enough of from their usual food intake. Look out for the fortification logo on the packaging.
Guidelines for including starch in your diet
- Try to include starchy foods in most of your meals.
- If you are very active, you will have higher energy needs and then you should have larger portions of these foods.
- Adults who are overweight should have a smaller portion of these foods.
- Children should eat less of these foods if they have not finished their other foods, like vegetables and protein food.
Examples to include in your daily diet
- Porridge or oats can be eaten for breakfast
- Sandwiches can be eaten for a snack at break (taken in a lunch box)
- Potato salad or a baked potato at lunch time
- Rice, potatoes or pasta for supper