Here’s the starchy vegetables list you need for a health boost

You ask: are starchy vegetables bad for you; do they spike your blood sugar; how much is okay to eat; and what’s on a starchy vegetables list?

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What do potatoes and tomatoes have in common?

What about pumpkin and zucchini?

From my perspective – the perspective of a registered dietitian nutritionist and certified diabetes care and education specialist – they’re all wholesome vegetables. Tomatoes and zucchini are nutritious non-starchy vegetables, and potatoes and pumpkins are nutritious starchy veggies.

I eat them all. And if you like them, I want you to eat them too.

The difference between non-starchy & starchy veggies

All vegetables are bursting with good nutrition. Eat any veggie, and you’ll get a host of vitamins and minerals. You’ll score one or more types of fiber, and you’ll fight disease with a plethora of health-boosting phytochemicals like carotenoids and indoles.

But you may wonder if starchy vegetables are bad for you because of their carbohydrate content. According to some low-carb and keto dieters, you should avoid potatoes, pumpkin, and other starchy vegetables because they portend high blood sugar, weight gain, and regret.

I disagree. But I do typically recommend eating at least 3 times as much non-starchy vegetables as starchy foods, including grains.

If you want to see how that plays out on the dinner plate, check out this meal planning tutorial.

Starchy vegetables have more calories & carbs

In general, a 1/2 cup serving of starchy vegetables, like corn, provides about 60 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrates. The same amount of non-starchy vegetables, such as broccoli, has only about 25 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates. That’s why I push higher quantities of non-starchy vegetables.

Eating TONS of non-starchy vegetables boosts my nutrition and helps me manage my weight. Grab a printable list of non-starchy vegetables here. And this list is deliciously long!

If you have diabetes or prediabetes, your blood sugar will be easier to manage when you fill up on non-starchy veggies and limit their starchy cousins to a smaller serving, say 1/2 cup or perhaps as much as a full cup.

How much carbohydrate?

You do not need to swear off potatoes, winter squash, and corn to manage your blood sugar. But you may want to be more specific about the carb counts of various starchy vegetables. Count 15 grams of carbohydrate for each of the following:

• 1/2 cup corn, peas, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes
• 1 cup winter squash, including pumpkin, acorn, and butternut squashes
• 1/3 cup plantain and cassava

Learn how to carb count for diabetes blood sugar management.

Examples of starchy vegetables

+ why they’re good for you even with their carbs and calories

Even with more calories and carbs than non-starchy vegetables like asparagus, tomatoes, green beans, spinach, and cabbage, starchy vegetables are far from nutritional duds. Consider these favorites:

White potato: The humble spud boasts fiber, vitamin C, blood pressure-friendly potassium, and quercetin, an antioxidant flavonoid associated with reduced risk of stroke, heart disease, and other health problems.

Corn: Along with a host of vitamins, minerals, and fiber, corn has two important carotenoids. Though we consume lots of carotenoids – all cousins to beta-carotene – only lutein and zeaxanthin make their way to the macula of the eye. And that’s where they do their magic. The macula, constantly exposed to light, is at risk of oxidative damage, which can lead to age-related macular degeneration.. But lutein and zeaxanthin do double protection duty – as long as we have enough in our diets. First, they filter the light. And second, they block oxidative damage because they serve as antioxidants.

And what else? Lutein and zeaxanthin travel to the brain too, where they seem to protect us from cognitive decline.

Green peas: Find more eye-protecting, brain-boosting lutein, and zeaxanthin here.

Sweet potato: You’ll get a terrific dose of beta-carotene in a sweet potato, along with some fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. But the white potato has more potassium. In fact, one report listed the white potato as the least expensive source of potassium in the supermarket.

Starchy vegetables list

This is a much shorter list than my non-starchy vegetables list.

Cassava	Plantain
Corn	Potato
Hominy	Sweet potato
Parsnips	Winter squash, including pumpkin, acorn, butternut, and delicata
Peas	Yam

The bottom line on starchy vegetables

They’re wholesome vegetables.

Potato, tomato, pumpkin, and zucchini are all good for you. But because potatoes, pumpkins, and other starchy vegetables give us higher calorie and carb counts, most of us will do better eating many more non-starchy veggies than starchy ones. Starchy vegetables are not bad for you. And they’ll spike your blood sugar only if you eat too many carbohydrates.

Want to know more about healthy foods? Get the guide that answers your questions about what to eat for prediabetes.