- FILL HALF YOUR PLATE W/ NON-STARCHY VEGGIES
- REPLACE ALL SNACKS W/ LOADS OF YOUR FAVORITE FRUITS & VEGGIES
- REDUCE FAT INTAKE
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I fill the OTHER half plate w/ lots beans & starchy veggies:
Tubers & Root Vegetables
- White potatoes (Russet, Yukon Gold, red, etc.)
- Sweet potatoes
- Yams
- Cassava (yuca)
- Taro root
- Malanga
- Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes)
Corn
- Sweet corn
- Corn on the cob
- Corn kernels (fresh, frozen, canned)
Peas & Legumes (when eaten as vegetables)
- Green peas
- Split peas (dried)
- Black-eyed peas
- Lima beans
- Fava (broad) beans
Winter Squash
- Butternut squash
- Acorn squash
- Kabocha squash
- Hubbard squash
- Delicata squash
- Buttercup squash
- Pumpkin (lower in starch than most winter squash but still often grouped with them)
Other Starchy Vegetables
- Plantains
- Green bananas (used as a vegetable in many cuisines
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For a whole-food, plant-based diet like those promoted by John McDougall, Caldwell Esselstyn, and T. Colin Campbell, starchy vegetables are not considered unhealthy. In fact, they are often encouraged as staple foods because they provide complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, and minerals. AND THEY FILL YOU UP!
If your goal is weight loss, a practical approach is:
- Fill about ½ your plate with non-starchy vegetables.
- Fill the remaining ½ with starches (potatoes, sweet potatoes, whole grains, beans, etc.) and other whole plant foods.
- Avoid adding oils and keep high-calorie toppings to a minimum.
This approach provides plenty of volume and nutrition while helping keep overall calorie density relatively low.