Starchy Vegetables Question

[jenbrdsly]

I've been obsessed with the USDA Choose MyPlate requirements lately. It says that a woman my age should be eating 6 cups of starchy vegetables a week. (I don't normally do this.)

 

So my question is, how many starchy vegetables do you usually eat each week?

[Truscifi]

Maybe 3 right now, but we are working down from a lot more. We are working on lowering our carb intake in general though and increasing protein and healthy fat.

[Orthodox6]

beans -- beets -- carrots -- corn -- green peas -- parsnips -- plantain -- pumpkin -- sweet potatoes -- taro -- white potatoes -- winter squash -- yams

 

(I had to look up a list.)

 

I don't know. Three cups?

 

I just cook a varied menu that includes assorted fruits and assorted vegetables every day.

[Janie Grace]

6 cups?! I voted 2. I try to avoid them, honestly. I think of starchy veggies as not-very-nutritive and converts-to-sugar. I'd rather do a whole grain for a starch and a green/orange veggie as a veg. I wonder why starchy veggies are important...

[KungFuPanda]

I had to delete and re-vote because I forgot about beans. With beans I easily get 7+. I like ALL of the foods! ALL!

[Ellie]

I voted "0", although it could be as many as 1. :-)

[KungFuPanda]

I voted "0", although it could be as many as 1. :-)

 

That ain't right! Starchy veggies are delicious!

[regentrude]

Carrots count as "starchy vegetable"? In that case, definitely more than seven.

But I eat what I do because I like it, and not because some government tells me I should.

 

ETA: the website says carrots and sweet potatoes and squash are NOT "starchy veggies" but "red and orange veggies".

What a nonsense to sort them into these categories.

[OrganicAnn]

I love potatoes. We eat a fair about of beans, lentils, garbanzo beans, etc. In the summer, we eat fresh corn. We don't eat much corn the rest of the year. The amount of carrots we eat varies - sometimes a little bit shredded on a salad, some times we have roasted root vegetables.

[Orthodox6]

I quoted a list from the About.com Diabetes website. I wasn't sure what all was a "starchy vegetable", so pounced on the first list that came up in a search. I guess the carrots "count" because of their very high sugar content?

 

I'm more accustomed to the glycemic index/load charts.

 

I'm most accustomed to just eating variety!

 

Carrots count as "starchy vegetable"? In that case, definitely more than seven.

But I eat what I do because I like it, and not because some government tells me I should.

 

ETA: the website says carrots and sweet potatoes and squash are NOT "starchy veggies" but "red and orange veggies".

What a nonsense to sort them into these categories.

[nmoira]

That seems like a lot as a minimum.

 

In the winter, I eat more than seven, but only because I'll eat a roasted sweet potato with a bit of protein for lunch two or three times a week and roast carrots and parsnips once a week as a side with dinner. Maybe 2 or 3 cups of carrots in dinners and a cup of potatoes weekly otherwise.

[Shelsi]

Ok I voted 2 but that was before I read the pp's list. I was thinking potatoes & corn mostly when I voted.

 

I eat LOADS of veggies & I also juice too so I drink loads of veggies. In the past week I've eaten 3 sweet potatoes, more carrots than I can count, 2 beets, lots of lettuce, lots of spinach, a bunch of swiss chard, a bunch of collard greens, a head of broccoli, quarter head of cauliflower, 1-2 butternut squash (my fave!), I had a dinner that had 2 bulbs of fennel in it (so I had maybe a quarter of one?), I prefer meatless meals so I eat tons of beans - at least a cup a day of those, avocado which I guess is more in the fruit category, and along the same line I also eat at least 1 tomato a day. Oh and usually 2-3 red peppers a week. Ack, and I have to add cucumbers...more in the summer of course because the grocery store ones just are not very good but I've gotten some OK ones lately at the farmer's market.

 

I also have veggies with dinner of course but many of those I didn't list above!

 

I tell dh that I'm just making up for lost time. I don't think I ate any vegetable other than corn & potatoes until I was 20 yrs old and even eating those was rare. Then I spent the next 10 yrs trying to force myself to eat them but still not liking them. Then suddenly in the past year it just "clicked" and suddenly I can't get enough of them. My mother is still shocked lol.

[6packofun]

I had to check to see exactly which veggies are considered starchy! lol

• Beans (dried or lima 1/2 cup)
  
• Beets (1 cup)
  
• Carrots (1 cup)
  
• Corn (1/2 cup or 1 medium cob)
  
• Green Peas (1/2 cup)
  
• Parsnips (1/2 cup)
  
• Plantain (1/2 cup)
  
• Pumpkin (1 cup)
  
• Sweet Potatoes (1/2 cup)
  
• Taro (1/2 cup)
  
• White Potatoes (1 small or ½ cup mashed or 10 to 15 French fries)
  
• Winter Squash, such as acorn or butternut squash (1 cup)
  
• Yams (1/2 cup)
  

 

I probably eat potatoes 2-3x per week and maybe a few times a month some corn. I never really considered dried beans (legumes) as a veggies and I know they are starchy. I eat legumes 1-2x per week. So, I answered approx. 4x per week.

[Cinder]

I quoted a list from the About.com Diabetes website. I wasn't sure what all was a "starchy vegetable", so pounced on the first list that came up in a search. I guess the carrots "count" because of their very high sugar content?

 

 

Yes. Dh is working with a nutritionist to adjust his diet for health reasons. He was told to avoid root vegetables because they have a high sugar content.

 

 

As to how many cups of starchy vegetables we eat . . . maybe 3? Let's see, a typical week would include about a 1/2-1 cup of beans, a cup of potatoes, 1/2 cup winter squash, 1/2 cup carrots. We're trying to reduce starchy veg and increase the good veg. But we still eat rice and bread; not dh though.

[nmoira]

I'm just thoroughly confused now, because "beans and peas" are listed separately from starchy veg... but are still under veg. I'd count legumes as a protein, and they are listed under protein foods as well. And I'm "allowed" almost 6T of added sugar (260 cal)? That a *lot* of added sugar... over 10% of my calories.

[Parrothead]

2-ish.

[Parrothead]

2-ish.

 

Oh, we'll. I was only counting potatoes and corn. If we have to count beans and peas then at least 7 since we get a lot of out protein building blocks from beans and peas.

[LucyStoner]

I voted wrong. I said 3 (at the very most) because I was thinking of corn and potatoes. I definitely get more than 6 cups combined of the following:

 

(I assume green?) beans -- carrots -- green peas -- parsnips -- pumpkin -- sweet potatoes -- winter squash -- yams

 

in the WINTER, when most of it is in season. In the summer, not so much. We eat a lot of summer fruits and veggies when it is warm.

 

I do not eat taro and beets. I rarely eat corn. We do eat a lot of roasted carrots and parsnips in this house. We also eat a lot of Jerusalem artichokes, something I would put in the starchy veg category.

 

I don't count regular beans as a veggie since they are a huge protein source.

[jenbrdsly]

Sorry folks! I should have included this list from the beginning. Here is the quote from the Choose MyPlate website:

Starchy vegetables

 

• cassava
  
• corn
  
• fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)
  
• green bananas
  
• green peas
  
• green lima beans
  
• plantains
  
• potatoes
  
• taro
  
• water chestnuts
  

 

[Arcadia]

None of the vegetables we eat normally is on the starchy vegetables list. Our usual is carrots, broccoli and cauliflower. Hubby eats baked beans, the Heinz can kind.

 

We eat corn only when it is 5 for $1.

[Jean in Newcastle]

Sorry folks! I should have included this list from the beginning. Here is the quote from the Choose MyPlate website:

Starchy vegetables

• cassava

• corn

• fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)

• green bananas

• green peas

• green lima beans

• plantains

• potatoes

• taro

• water chestnuts

 

 

 

The only things I eat off of this list are peas, water chestnuts and plantains. And that is less than once a week. I do eat a variety of vegetables multiple times a day. Just not from that list. The potatoes and corn I specifically avoid for blood sugar reasons.

[Dory]

We have corn maybe once a week on a bad week in the winter, but in the fall we eat our own fresh ears a fair amount. I have no desire to eat that stuff regularly. Sweet potatoes are a couple times a month usually mixed with mashed potatoes. Frozen peas are a normal snack in my kids world, but not so much in mine. Otherwise we only eat peas fresh from the garden in the summer. We eat a LOT of carrots in this house. Raw, steamed, oven baked or in carrot pie we all seem to be carrot lovers. My weakness is oven fried root veggies which has potatoes, parsnips, carrots, rutabagas, onions, garlic, and a lot of butter. It's heavenly. :drool5:

We have at least one serving or these sort of veggies every day. I can't see them leaving our diet anytime soon.

[MissKNG]

Personally, I eat about 2, maybe 3 each week. My girls eat them daily.

[LaxMom]

Sorry folks! I should have included this list from the beginning. Here is the quote from the Choose MyPlate website:

Starchy vegetables

 

• cassava

• corn

• fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)

• green bananas

• green peas

• green lima beans

• plantains

• potatoes

• taro

• water chestnuts

 

 

With that list, I eat 0-1 serving per week, which would include occasional plantain, taro, and water chestnuts. I eat lots of red and orange colored veggies, though, along with the greens.

 

I've never seen a fresh (not dry) black-eyed pea in my life. Does something happen in the drying process to make them non-starchy? Odd.

[lavender's green]

Probably 7+. I avoid gluten because of migraines and white rice isn't the most nutrient-packed thing in the world, and I eat minimal sugar because I don't need it, so if I want more carbs than a serving of spinach has, I need starchy vegetables. And I really do need carbs to feel full. If I do low-carb I wind up taking in a lot more calories as fat in order to feel sated. I know that in some diet circles "calories in - calories out" is a complete myth, but no one told my body that! (At least for weight-loss purposes. I can actually maintain my weight eating low carb, high fat, as many calories as I want; I just can't lose any!)

 

It's not like I'm drowning in white potatoes, though. My carbs are usually "colorful" at least!

[Laura Corin]

Probably four times a week - otherwise it would be whole grain pasta/brown rice or dried beans/pulses instead. Perhaps once a week it would be a 'white' starch.

 

Laura

[Cinder]

Sorry folks! I should have included this list from the beginning. Here is the quote from the Choose MyPlate website:

Starchy vegetables

• cassava
  
• corn
  
• fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)
  
• green bananas
  
• green peas
  
• green lima beans
  
• plantains
  
• potatoes
  
• taro
  
• water chestnuts
  

 

Okay, based on this list I'd say we eat about 1 cup of starchy veg per week and that would be just potatoes. Except for corn, which we eat in the summer off the cob, we don't eat these others on the list.

[*Michelle*]

Who eats green bananas? We eat plenty of plantains, both tostones and maduros, but I've never heard of anyone eating a regular old banana when it's not ripe. :confused1:

[Jane in NC]

Some of you do not eat beans, pumpkin, sweet potatoes? These are among my favorite foods.

 

ETA: now confused as to which list is being discussed....

[Orthodox6]

 

Okay, based on this list I'd say we eat about 1 cup of starchy veg per week and that would be just potatoes. Except for corn, which we eat in the summer off the cob, we don't eat these others on the list.

 

Missing out on a lot of delicious, nutritious foods, then!

[Arcadia]

Some of you do not eat beans, pumpkin, sweet potatoes? These are among my favorite foods.

 

ETA: now confused as to which list is being discussed....

 

We eat dried beans, the list OP posted says fresh beans. We eat pumpkins and sweet potatoes only when it is in season and affordable so I don't count those.

[nmoira]

OK then, with sweet potatoes and carrots knocked off the narrower list, I have one or two cups per week. The recommended minimum for that group seems even more out of whack.

[6packofun]

Some of you do not eat beans, pumpkin, sweet potatoes? These are among my favorite foods.

 

ETA: now confused as to which list is being discussed....

 

Ignore my list, since the OP was obviously only talking about the ones on her list! lol Mine came from a page on about.com and matches up pretty closely with another list on the Mayo Clinic site. None of them match completely, though? Hmm.

 

Dried beans DO have a good amount of carbs even though they are also a good source of protein so I don't know how to count them. I just try not to eat them more than a few times a week because I usually have them WITH a carb--rice or lower-carb tortilla!

[jenbrdsly]

 

Ignore my list, since the OP was obviously only talking about the ones on her list! lol Mine came from a page on about.com and matches up pretty closely with another list on the Mayo Clinic site. None of them match completely, though? Hmm.

 

Dried beans DO have a good amount of carbs even though they are also a good source of protein so I don't know how to count them. I just try not to eat them more than a few times a week because I usually have them WITH a carb--rice or lower-carb tortilla!

 

 

 

That's interesting though, that the Mayo Clinic and the USDA are saying different things. Right? You would think "Starchy Vegetable" would be a standard term, but it isn't.

[Cinder]

 

Missing out on a lot of delicious, nutritious foods, then!

 

Well, dh avoids starchy foods due to blood sugar issues. My dc don't like most of the foods in the list I quoted because of the texture. We still eat lots of good veggies, just not so much the starchy ones. Though if we go by the first list posted we do eat beans at least once a week along with some carrots and winter squash. I have to be careful with that, though, due to the blood sugar issue.

[Mnemosyne]

Maybe 2? And that's only if my husband cooks them. If I had a choice, I'd be at 0.

 

The only "starchy vegetable" I ever really eat is the occasional sweet potato and very occasional regular potato.

 

So, if sweet potatoes don't count.... 1/2 a cup?

[LaxMom]

 

 

 

That's interesting though, that the Mayo Clinic and the USDA are saying different things. Right? You would think "Starchy Vegetable" would be a standard term, but it isn't.

I think they're using it as high-GI vegetables. Sweet potatoes, pumpkin, etc, tend not to spike blood sugar like white potatoes... Though I'm not sure anyone eats water chestnuts in a quantity to be concerned about glycemic load.

 

I often wonder about what the USDA is thinking when they categorize things.

[4kidlets4me]

Sorry folks! I should have included this list from the beginning. Here is the quote from the Choose MyPlate website:

Starchy vegetables

• cassava
  
• corn
  
• fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)
  
• green bananas
  
• green peas
  
• green lima beans
  
• plantains
  
• potatoes
  
• taro
  
• water chestnuts
  

 

Going by this list the only things we eat regularly is potatoes, and corn. Who eats green bananas? I'd say we eat corn maybe 2x a month except in the late summer when we get fresh corn and then it's about 2x a week. Potatoes are probably once a week.

[Snickerdoodle]

Green banana is probably plantain.

 

Cassava is a root, so why aren't sweet potatoes and starchy tubers on that list?

[TheReader]

Sorry folks! I should have included this list from the beginning. Here is the quote from the Choose MyPlate website:

Starchy vegetables

• cassava

• corn

• fresh cowpeas, field peas, or black-eyed peas (not dry)

• green bananas

• green peas

• green lima beans

• plantains

• potatoes

• taro

• water chestnuts

 

 

 

From this list, I think I probably get 1 to 2 cups/week. We eat potatoes in one variety or another at least once/week, and I'm sure I have a 1 cup serving when we do. We eat green peas maybe once/week, and of that I would eat maybe 1/2 to 1 full cup when I eat them. Although, we eat them in the pod still, so that is part of it and may or may not count.

 

If you include the other list (carrots, beans, chick peas, etc.) then easily 6 cups/week. Most often these days for lunch I make a salad that is 1 cup garbanzo beans/chick peas, 1/2 cup fresh spinach, 1/4 cup grape tomatoes, 1/4 cup cucumber, 1 tbspn balsamic dressing, and a sprinkle or two of parmesan cheese. I eat that for lunch every day, or most days. Add that to the potatoes/peas at dinner during the week, and there's 6 to 7 cups for me, and that is not adding in carrots which we eat at least once/week as well.

 

No corn; the corn we can get here is disgusting.

[Joan in GE]

Do you know it's possible to change your vote?

 

I just did. Delete your vote, then you get the option of voting again :-)

 

Some options on this new board are really useful!

 

This is quite interesting to see the different lists of starchy veggies...I hadn't read the whole thread when I voted...That's one of the great things about the forums - so many people look at questions differently and find different sources of info and you end up with a much broader view....

 

Joan