1. Choose low-glycaemic-load starches over those with a high glycaemic load.
2. When your starch craving comes from stress, think about other ways you can manage your stress. Trying to deal with the cause of stress may be the best way to get rid of your craving. Take a walk and think about why you really need that doughnut or biscuit. Taking a short break often gets rid of the craving as well as the stress.
3. When you have a starch as part of a meal, serve yourself a modest portion and go back for seconds if you are still hungry.
For carbohydrate counters: I can only recommend starches as a very occasional treat. One of the ways this diet works is by limiting the foods you can eat and in that way limiting the calories you take in. On the other hand, if you crave an occasional starch, who am I to criticize? Just consider them the once-in-a-while treats, rather than daily fare. If your supermarket doesn’t carry low-carb items, plenty of websites are dying to sell them to you, like the ones listed below. Order with caution. You don’t want to eat them often.
www.LowCarbMegastore.co.uk www.sugarfreesuperstore.co.uk www.ukdiet.net
For calorie counters: With this type of food, portion control is tough. One trick that works for some of my patients is to eat the starch at the end of the meal, not at the beginning. Start with the protein-containing food and the vegetable, and then finish with the starch. It’s much easier not to overeat when you are almost full.
For fat counters: Many starches come attached to fats, often saturated fats. This is particularly true of sweet starches and baked goods like cakes, muffins, pastries, biscuits or bagels. The fat can give these foods a low glycaemic load but still add on the calories. And calories always count. Try to find substitutes for your favorite high fat starches that will limit your calorie intake. You can try buying a smaller one of whatever it is, or try new and lower-calorie foods and see if that helps.
