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Anyone know a good comprehensive list of safe starches?

If not I thought we could make one. We could sort it by level of "Safeness" I.E. some consider white rice safe, others not so much. And we could sort for price. Maybe 3 Categories - "Almost all consider safe", "Majority Consider Safe", "Some Consider Safe". Then the price per calorie.

I'll start:

Almost all consider safe:

  • Sweet Potato - 4.6 calories per penny
  • Plantains - 5.5 calories per penny.

Majority Consider safe:

  • White Rice - cheap

How can i format my post so it looks pretty?

[Edit by MikeD - I made it look pretty, go see what I did so you know for the future.]

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Thanks Mike, looks much better! – Kyle Apr 12 2012 at 22:11
I like that you framed it as calories per penny. I'm very curious to see a compiled list. – Kirsten Apr 13 2012 at 17:26

9 Answers

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Here's a great list done by Diane Sanfilippo of Balanced Bites: http://balancedbites.com/2011/08/paleo-diet-carbs.html I don't know the prices per calorie but I imagine it would vary widely depending on season and locale.

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Boiled plantains and parsnips fried with kale along side a juicy hamburger all seasoned with sea salt and garam masala is one of my new favorite things! – Violet Apr 13 2012 at 8:16
Parsnips fried in coconut oil and garnished with cranberries are my favorite dessert. Along with a cup of coffee. – Namby Pamby Apr 15 2012 at 5:50
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Safe carbs depends on who you listen to. Robb Wolf will tell you tequilla is the only safe carb. Mark Sisson would add a tiny amount of milk. Read Sally Fallon's 'Nurishing Traditions' for a pretty comprehensive list of Weston A. Price go-to foods. But in her excellent book she warns not all carbs are for everyone. Some can handle lactose and sourdough wheat (like me - go ahead and ban me mods ;) ), most agree on yams. Personally I love veggies and yams with a little sourdough bread (drenched in butter or soaking up deep orange yokes), lots of raw local honey, and raw local goat milk. I like beans once in awhile if they're soaked two days and cooked the same, swimming in pastured lard. White rice won't bother if you're insulin sensitive. Ditto Irish potatoes. If you're on the fence, go large with the pseudo-potatoes like beets, rutabagas, carrots etc. OK, now I'm hungry. . .

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FWIW Tequilla (and most hard liquor) doesn't contain carbs. – Andy Apr 13 2012 at 13:56
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Crucifers and leafy greens are carbs, too! I'm pretty sure most people can handle them without many problems. – Corbab Apr 13 2012 at 14:09
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It was a joke. Robb Wolf/Cordane are about the least tolerant of any non-veggie carbs, but RW talks up the NorCal Margaritas. . . – RanchHand Apr 13 2012 at 19:00
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You might want to look at this previous question covering starches:

http://paleohacks.com/questions/31667/what-are-some-nutritious-starch-options#axzz1rpJ5qN6u

It was about getting nutritious starches into your diet. Hopefully that helps.

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This could really be all over the place as not one sock fits all and everyone's needs/goals are different. Many online sites have lists available, I like what's on Balanced Bites via @Violets post. Personally I dig yuca, plantains, banana, tubers, sweet potatoes, parsnips, squash, taro..

I'm super lucky that where I live in Brooklyn I have full access to yuca/plantains/taro 1 block away from my apartment. Win!

If anyone wants to try plantains: I find that slashing the skin with a knife then dropping into boiling water for a few seconds allows the skin to come right off. When green they're a pain to deal with.

Yuca: Cut into 2" to 3" long pieces. On the freshly cut end you will see the "ring" of bark that needs to be removed, it is about 1/16' thick, I use a knife or peeler. Once the bark is removed use your knife to score an "X" on each cut end of the yuca pieces - this helps them split later on. Drop them into boiling water and boil until they are soft and can be pierced with a fork or knife - 20 to 30 minutes. They may also be splitting open at this point. The yuca can be served mojo sauce made with whatever fat/oil you like + lime juice or sour orange juice, and fresh garlic spooned over the top. For fries you put in the fridge to cool. Once it is cooled, and the yuca is firmed up a bit, cut the pieces in halves or quarters, it will naturally let you know what it wants, and remove the fibrous strip out of the very center. Squeeze the quarters or halves lightly in your hands to compact them. Drop them in fat/oil to deep fry or you can pan fry in less fat/oil, turning a couple of time until browned or golden, you can also roast in the oven. You will find that how long you boil them (and how hard you squeeze them) for will vary the consistency of the final product considerably, from denser (less time boiling) to looser (more time).

Taro is awesome and, to me, pretty flexible like the plantain, so many things to do with it. An easy one is put bite sized pieces into a pot with 1c stock, 1tb maple syrup. Bring to a boil and cook down until the liquid is almost gone. Add 1tb coconut aminos. Thin out with 2tb white miso and a little water until more liquid rather than paste-like, add to the pot. Let simmer and y_u_m.

Good times!

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I love bananas. They only work out to around 2.7 calories per penny, but they're still dirt cheap. They're by far my favorite post-workout food.

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Taro root is probably my favorite safe (errr, safe only when cooked) starch, but the cheapest I can find is probably around 1 calorie per 1 penny. It's a bit expensive for me, but I love it. I have no idea what people think of taro, since I rarely hear it mentioned.

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I love taro too. In Japan I ate it a lotbut even here in NYC it's difficult to get ahold of. – ben61820 Apr 13 2012 at 12:08
Its easy. Japanese grocery store in The EV. Or go to Queens. – GurlzLuvSteak Apr 13 2012 at 12:50
What's the EV? Store or farmer market? – ben61820 Apr 13 2012 at 14:34
The East Village. Also, Hmart in Manhattan and Queens. I personally dont' eat taro because I seem to react to the skin when I touch. – Namby Pamby Apr 15 2012 at 5:49
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i love me some yuca!

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oops, wrong spot. Can this be deleted?

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-6

Safe starches is a misnomer. The only safe starch are the ones you leave on your plate. The "majority" do not consider white rice safe. One of the goals of paleo is to minimize your body's use of insulin. White rice will spike it and the resulting cascade is not where you want to be. We do have a long evolutionary history with root vegetables and several aboriginal cultures still eat them. The fact that they grow below ground and are low in phytates and other anti-nutrients works in their favor as well as a large fiber content which slows the resulting starch to sugar conversion and thus blunts the insulin response. This is why sweet potatoes are OK. White potatoes have less fiber and convert much faster.

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Minimizing your body's use of insulin is definitely not one of Paleo's goal. High insulin levels is a problem, sure, but regular levels are fine. The goal of paleo is finding a way through diet, lifestyle, fitness, etc to a more healthy and optimal version of yourself. We use paleo man as a starting point, and apply that to our modern environment. Paleo is more than carbs. As long as you peel your potato (sweet/white) you get rid of most of the problems. Same for white rice when cooked. In the end you have to see what works for you. Not everyone can tolerate the same food. – pbo Apr 12 2012 at 23:54
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If I eat more than 100 grams of protein I pee 5 times a night. I'm sensitive to dairy. This severely limits my food choices. I feel pretty good on my sweet potato and plantain diet, but would love to be able to eat more protein...but until I figure out why it makes me pee all night I'm on the safe starches. I can only eat so much coconut oil. – Kyle Apr 13 2012 at 0:41
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Just as paleo is not specifically low-carb, it is not anti-starch. Different people do different things with paleo, and have different needs and goals. I train 2 hours a day, 5 days a week, and don't have the time in my practice schedule to dedicate 2-3 weeks to keto-training, so there's no way I'd be able to perform without potatoes and sweet potatoes. Be careful when applying a blanket statement, especially one not based in fact. – Corbab Apr 13 2012 at 6:28
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I thought that the "carbs/starchy foods are inherently evil" thing has been long debunked. And when I 'signed up' for paleo I wasn't under the impression that starches were disallowed or that my insulin response to certain foods deemed said foods healthy or not. I, and many other people, do very well on a fair amount of starch. Sorry, -1. – blueballoon Apr 13 2012 at 11:05
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I digest white rice better than sweet potatoes!!!!. Eat to your meter! – holly Apr 13 2012 at 13:19
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