Starches
Starches are a type of carbohydrates that are called complex carbohydrates, and they are among the most abundant types of carbohydrates in the basic foods that humans depend on, and starches can be divided into two parts, which are as follows:
- Amylose: (in English: Amylose), which is the part that consists of sugar chains (glucose) arranged in a linear manner, and it constitutes (10-20%) of starch.
- Amylopectin: (in English: Amylopectin), which is the bulk of starch that consists of linear and branched chains of glucose, and constitutes (80-90%) of starch.
Sources of Starches
Here are some of the most important sources of carbohydrates:
Grains and their products: Wheat, oats, barley, rice, and millet are among the most abundant types of grains. It is worth noting that all types of these grains can be whole grains. That is, it is composed of the seed, the shell, and the endosperm (in English: Endosparm), or it may be in the form of refined grains that consist only of the seed, and thus these grains lose the source of fiber and vitamins that they contained, and in what comes some of the grain products:
- Rice: such as brown rice, basmati rice, long grain rice, short grain rice, and other types of rice.
- Bread and baked goods: Bread and baked goods can be made from all kinds of different grains. Bread, especially whole grain bread and brown bread, are healthy options that can be included as part of a balanced diet. Examples of types of bread are; Arabic bread or what is known as pita bread, tortilla, French bread, toast, etc., and examples of other baked goods; Cakes, muffins, pancakes, biscuits, etc.
- Wheat and its products: In addition to bread, there is a group of wheat products such as: pasta, couscous, bulgur, freekeh, and wheat bran.
- Flour: Different types of flour contain a high percentage of starches.
Starchy vegetables: Starchy vegetables contain three to four times the amount of carbohydrates than non-starchy vegetables. such as tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, zucchini, and others, and in what follows are some examples of starchy vegetables:
- potatoes.
- sweet potato.
- Maize.
- peas;
- pumpkins.
- pumpkin.
- Parsnip.
Legumes: Legumes are a good source of resistant starch, which will be discussed later, and here are some examples of legumes:
- lentils
- chickpeas.
- Beans.
- Dried beans: such as white and red beans.