Starchy foods are much more interesting than I thought! When I was younger, I thought of starchy foods as the “whites” – white flour, white rice, white bread, white pasta and potatoes. Definitely those are starchy foods that need to be avoided (see It’s Time to Give Up White Bread and Pasta, Really) but there are other starches too that do not need to be banished from your diet these include:

• Beets
• Carrots
• Beans
• Corn
• Parsnips
• Yams
• Peas
• Plantains
• Squash
• Whole Grains

Studies at Penn State University have found that a low-fat, low-energy dense diet that includes fruits and vegetables allows a person to eat more and weigh less – no big “aha” here – this is what Dr. Grandma has been saying for a while. My list of starchy foods above would make good candidates for this diet – you just need to practice portion control and make sure that in preparing these vegetables, you don’t add fat, salt and sugar. Looking through the Foods Highest in Starch, you will notice that food processors like to add fat, salt, and sugar to starches. In fact, more than any other food – we add nutritionally poor ingredients to starches.

Even without adding fat, salt and sugar, starches have their own mechanisms for getting us to eat more of them. Digestion of dietary starch begins in the mouth by the enzyme α-amylase in the saliva. This enzyme begins to rapidly break down the starch. Research shows a great deal of individual variation in the quantity of the enzyme and its ability to break down starches. Some factors contributing to these variations include:

• Stress and circadian rhythms.
• A diet high in starch – the more starch you eat, the more α-amylase in your saliva.
• Genetics -- salivary α-amylase concentrations positively correlate with the number of copies of the AMY1 gene.

Salivary α-amylase affects how food feels in the mouth. The “feel” or texture of the food depends on the food being eaten and the how the food changes while it is being chewed or manipulated by the tongue -- think chocolate or ice cream melting in your mouth. The thinning of chocolate and ice cream in the mouth makes them seem more creamy and increases their appeal. In what seems to be a double whammy, not only does the food taste better – increased amounts of α-amylase cause the starches to breakdown faster increasing the rate of blood glucose absorption and rising blood glucose levels. It is important to remember that fiber in the starches I have listed above slow down the rate of glucose absorption.

Now lets turn our attention to the holiday table. Some favorites on the tables that I have seen through the years:

• Mashed potatoes with lots of butter, milk and salt.
• Yams with butter and brown sugar and/or marshmallows.
• Stuffing with butter/turkey drippings and salt.
• Green beans with butter, cream of mushroom soup and French-fried onions.
• Broccoli with white rice, butter, white flour, cheese and white bread crumbs.

A salad typically represents a casual nod to healthy food; however even the salad usually is loaded with croutons and covered in an unhealthy dressing. Throw in a little stress surrounding a big family gathering with all of the starches and the α-amylase levels will surely be rising.

Perhaps even worse than the foods that make up the meal is the way that the food is piled on plates as if the last meal was at least a week before – and that is just main meal, the dessert “plate” comes next – samples of pies and other “goodies.” After this holiday meal, as people are practically comatose you hear someone repeating the factoid that it is the tryptophan in the turkey that makes them drowsy. Really? I mean, REALLY?

I don’t want to be a spoilsport about the holiday meal, for I would surely be a hypocrite too! I enjoy most of these traditional favorites as much as anyone. I’m just suggesting that perhaps we all should give ourselves a break this holiday and be more mindful about what we are eating and remember that some great, healthy desserts start with Dr. Grandma’s Muffins Your Way. Also, you might want to start a new tradition of a family walk after the meal.

For this holiday season, I want to share a recipe for mashed potatoes that is really yummy and modified to be a bit healthier – even if it is mashed potatoes. The celery root gives the potatoes a great flavor without adding a lot of salt and butter -- and if you are going to put gravy on those mashed potatoes, you can cut back on the salt and oil that you add to them. You can use the remaining celery root in turkey soup or other soups instead of -- or in addition to -- potatoes.

Mashed Potatoes with Celery Root

Ingredients

¼ medium celery root. Remove outer peel and cut into 1 inch cubes
4 yukon gold or russet potatoes, peeled – or well-washed -- and cut into 1 inch cubes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup skim milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Boil the celery root in 8 cups water for 15 minutes.
Add the potatoes and boil for 25 minutes.
Drain water from the potatoes and celery root.
Add olive oil and milk to the potatoes and celery root.
Mash the potatoes and celery root using a potato masher or a mixer.
Add more olive oil or milk for desired consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.

You can make the potatoes using butter and whole milk instead of olive oil and skim milk. I have to confess that when I make these mashed potatoes for a holiday meal, I use butter.

A really large celery root and potatoes.

Cut celery root into 1 inch cubes.

Cut potatoes into 1 inch cubes.

Add oil olive and milk to boiled potatoes and celery root.

Mash potatoes, celery root, milk and olive oil.

Mashed potatoes and celery root. Enjoy!