Carbohydrate food is a really important part of a healthy diet and should make up just over around a third of what you eat. They’re a good source of energy and essential fibre, calcium, iron and vitamins.
This group contains starchy foods such as pasta, rice, oats, potatoes, noodles, yam, green bananas, sweet potato, millet, couscous, breads, breakfasts cereals, barley and rye.
One portion of carbohydrate is:
- One slice of bread, one roll or half a pizza.
- Six tablespoons of breakfast cereal or porridge.
- Four wholewheat crisp breads.
- Six tablespoons of pasta, rice, millet or couscous.
- Two tablespoons mashed sweet potato.
- 1 ½ slices wholemeal soda bread or 1 pitta pocket
- ⅓ cup dry porridge oats or ½ cup unsweetened muesli
- 1 cup flaked type breakfast cereal
- 1 cup of cooked rice, pasta or noodles
- 2 medium or 4 small potatoes
- 1 cup yam or plantain
What type of foods should I eat?
The healthiest starchy foods are those that are high in fibre. For most starchy foods, there is a high-fibre version you can choose. So try out brown rice, wholemeal pasta and wholegrain bread instead of white rice, white pasta and white bread. Wholegrain breakfast cereals (including porridge) and baked potatoes eaten with their skins are great for fibre too.