Healthy Eating in Schools guidance 2020: supplementary information and advice on energy and key nutrients

Carbohydrates

Why do we need to eat more starchy carbohydrates and fibre?

Starch and fibre are carbohydrates.

Starchy foods are a very important part of a healthy balanced diet. We should get most of our energy from starchy foods and they should make up about a third of the food we eat.

Foods rich in fibre are more bulky, so they help us to feel full, which means we are less likely to eat too much.

As starch and fibre are found in lots of different foods, they can bring a variety of other nutrients to our diet.

Sources of starch and fibre

Starch and fibre are found in a variety of food.

Starch is found in plant sources such as bread, rice, pasta, noodles, potatoes, yams, plantains and chapattis.

Fibre is also found in foods that come from plants. Good sources include wholegrain bread, brown rice, pasta, oats, beans, peas, lentils, grains, seeds, fruit and vegetables.

We should, where possible, eat wholegrain versions of foods, such as high fibre/wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta and brown rice as they are a great source of fibre, a nutrient that most of us do not eat enough of.