What do starchy foods provide us with

Wholegrain varieties of starchy foods and potatoes - particularly when eaten with their skins on - are good sources of fibre. Fibre is the name given to a range of compounds found in the cell walls of vegetables, fruits, pulses and cereal grains. Fibre that cannot be digested helps other food and waste products move through the gut more easily. Potato skins, wholegrain bread and breakfast cereals, brown rice, and wholewheat pasta are good sources of this kind of fibre.

Fibre can help keep our bowels healthy and can help us feel full, which means we're less likely to eat too much. This makes wholegrain starchy foods and potatoes eaten with their skins on a particularly good choice if you're trying to lose weight.

Some types of fibre - present in fruits and vegetables such as apples, carrots, potatoes, oats and pulses - can be partly digested, and may help reduce the amount of cholesterol in the blood.

Get more healthy breakfast ideas. Potatoes are a great choice of starchy food and a good source of energy, fibre, B vitamins and potassium. In the UK, we also get a lot of our vitamin C from potatoes - although they only contain vitamin C in small amounts, we generally eat a lot of them.

They're good value for money and can be a healthy choice. Although potatoes are vegetables, in the UK we mostly eat them as the starchy food part of a meal, and they're a good source of carbohydrate in our diets. Because of this, potatoes don't count towards your five portions of fruit and vegetables a day , but they can play an important role in your diet.

Potatoes are a healthy choice when boiled, baked, mashed or roasted with only a small amount of fat or oil and no added salt. When cooking or serving potatoes, try to go for lower-fat polyunsaturated spreads or small amounts of unsaturated oils, such as olive or sunflower oil, instead of butter. Leave potato skins on where possible to keep in more of the fibre and vitamins. For example, eat the skin when you're having boiled potatoes or a baked potato.

If you're boiling potatoes, some nutrients will leak out into the water, especially if you've peeled them.

To stop this happening, only use enough water to cover them and cook them only for as long as they need. Storing potatoes in a cool, dark and dry place will help stop them sprouting. Don't eat any green, damaged or sprouting bits of potatoes as these can contain toxins that can be harmful.

Bread - especially wholemeal, granary, brown and seeded varieties - is a healthy choice to eat as part of a balanced diet. Wholegrain, wholemeal and brown breads give us energy and contain B vitamins, vitamin E, fibre and a wide range of minerals. White bread also contains a range of vitamins and minerals , but it has less fibre than wholegrain, wholemeal or brown breads.

If you prefer white bread, look for higher-fibre options. Some people avoid bread because they're concerned that they're allergic to wheat, or they think bread is fattening. However, cutting out any type of food altogether might mean you miss out on a whole range of nutrients people need to stay healthy.

If you're concerned that you have a wheat allergy or intolerance , speak to your GP. How much should kids eat? Healthy eating tips Offer your child a breakfast cereal with added iron most days of the week. Limit the amount of sugar coated and chocolate coated cereals your child eats. Smaller younger children will eat less and taller older will eat more.

More active children will also eat more. Check out the cereals shelf fact sheet Cereals, breads, potatoes, pasta and rice Vegetables, salad and fruit Milk, yogurt and cheese Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, beans and nuts Fats, spreads and oils Food high in fat, sugar and salt.

Food sensitivities A food sensitivity is a bad reaction to a food that is otherwise safe to eat. How to cook for a healthy diet How you cook is as important as what you cook when it comes to keeping your food healthy. Rice should not be reheated more than once — it should be thrown away. Do not reheat rice unless it's been chilled safely and kept in a fridge until you reheat it. Follow the "use by" date and storage instructions on the label for any cold rice or grain salads that you buy.

Pasta is another healthy option to base your meal on. It consists of dough made from durum wheat and water and contains iron and B vitamins. Wholewheat or wholegrain are healthier than ordinary pasta, as they contain more fibre.

We digest wholegrain foods slower than refined grains, so they can help us feel full for longer. Dried pasta can be stored in a cupboard and typically has a long shelf life, while fresh pasta will need to be refrigerated and has a shorter lifespan. Check the food packaging for "best before" or "use by" dates and further storage instructions. Acrylamide is a chemical that's created when many foods, particularly starchy foods like potatoes and bread, are cooked for long periods at high temperatures, such as when baking, frying, grilling, toasting and roasting.

Find more information on acrylamide on the Food Standards Agency website. Read more about preparing and cooking food safely. Page last reviewed: 26 February Next review due: 26 February Starchy foods and carbohydrates - Eat well Secondary navigation Food and diet Nutrition and food groups Eating a balanced diet 8 tips for healthy eating The Eatwell Guide Food labels Food labelling terms Reference intakes on food labels Starchy foods and carbohydrates Dairy and alternatives Meat in your diet Fish and shellfish The healthy way to eat eggs Beans and pulses Water, drinks and your health Eating processed foods.

Why 5 A Day? What counts? Fat: the facts Salt: the facts Sugar: the facts Top sources of added sugar What does calories look like? Red meat and the risk of bowel cancer What is a Mediterranean diet? How to prepare and cook food safely How to store food and leftovers 10 ways to prevent food poisoning Why you should never wash raw chicken Cooking turkey How to wash fruit and vegetables The truth about sweeteners Sprouted seeds safety advice.

Calorie checker. White bread also contains a range of vitamins and minerals, but it has less fibre than wholegrain, wholemeal or brown breads. Some people avoid bread because they think they're allergic to wheat, or because they think bread is fattening. But cutting out any type of food altogether could be bad for your health because you might miss out on a whole range of nutrients that we need to stay healthy. We will not reply to your feedback.

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