These are cupboard basic foods and include: different breads, pasta, rice and potatoes, noodles, barley, couscous, corn, plantain and tapioca.

• Starchy foods are usually cheap and can keep for a while
• They are good to buy in bulk, especially if they are on offer and you have room in the kitchen
• These foods are the basis of a healthy balanced diet 

• Breakfast cereals are a good choice for the start of the day, as is porridge, made with oats or cornmeal
• If your children (or you!) prefer the sweet versions, choosing cereals which are lower in sugar is a great start
• Moving from sugary or frosted to unsweetened cereal might seem challenging, but you could give it a try. Save the sweet cereals for the weekend instead
• There are lots of recipes online which could introduce different starchy foods. Try looking for couscous, cornmeal, polenta or noodles for a start
• Packed lunches don't just have to be sandwiches. Pots of pre-cooked pasta work well too, or try different types of bread like bagels, wraps, pitta or flatbreads
• If your kids are at nursery or school, their lunch menus might have different starchy foods for them to try. You could add these at home as well

• Wholegrain products can take time to get used to, especially for kids who might be more familiar with white versions
• Buying wholegrain alongside white pasta is a good way to introduce wholegrain. You can mix them together, so that it’s not such a big change
• Choosing 50/50 or wholegrain bread is another way to increase fibre
• Wholegrain (brown) rice is another good choice. If you are not used to it, try a packet of microwavable wholegrain rice to start