Starchy foods, long shunned as fattening, are now the superstars of the food galaxy. Today's news is that the road to better health is paved with potatoes, pasta, rice, beans, and bread.

What about protein? Everybody needs protein!

Yes, but not so much. For a long time people assumed that because muscles are predominantly protein we needed to eat a lot of it to be strong.

But the body is like a car. Once the car is built, only a few additional parts are needed here and there for maintenance. Similarly, a human adult needs relatively little protein for daily maintenance--about 45 to 60 grams per day. That's about two ounces of pure protein.

What the car does need on a regular basis is good clean gasoline. And carbohydrates are the gasoline of the body, the high-octane fuel that keeps it running smoothly.

Isn't fat also a body fuel?

Fat, in general, is stored fuel, carried as baggage. It's the reserve tank. If the body runs out of carbohydrate fuel it can dig out the spare stuff. But fat doesn't burn as cleanly as carbohydrates and it's not as energy-efficient.

What are carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are the sugars and starches in the foods we eat. A lot of people don't understand the relationship between sugars and starches, and the confusion is compounded when terms like simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates are used.

In general, simple carbohydrates are the sugars and complex carbohydrates are the starches. All carbohydrates, both sugars and starches, are broken down by the digestive tract and end up as glucose. The blood absorbs this glucose from the intestines and uses it for energy (fuel). Complex carbohydrates are almost exclusively found in plant foods--in grains, potatoes, beans, and vegetables, and in the many foods made from them, such as bread and pastas.

The sugars--simple carbohydrates--are digested quickly and, unless fiber is present, enter the bloodstream as glucose within minutes. This produces a quick rise in blood sugar, accompanied by an energy increase. But sugar-flooding often causes the pancreas to overreact, sending out a surge of insulin that not only brings the blood sugar back in line but sometimes drops it too low. The result may be an energy dip, often with a feeling of faintness or shakiness. The usual reaction is to grab a snack or a soda to straighten out the problem.

It works, doesn't it?

A better solution would be to eat an apple. In their natural forms nearly all carbohydrate foods contain liberal amounts of different kinds of fiber. Some kinds are not digested by the body. Instead, they absorb water and form a soft mass in the intestines that acts to slow down the rate of sugar absorption.

Another solution would be to eat more complex carbohydrates, or starches. Starches are very complex molecules. Much larger than sugar molecules, they take considerably longer to digest. Thus they don't push up the blood sugar level as quickly. Moreover, fiber content of most unrefined foods is an additional help in leveling out the rates of digestion and the absorption of nutrients.

But aren't starches more fattening than other foods?

Fat is the most fattening food. One gram of fat carries nine calories, while a gram of carbohydrate carries only four calories. Much of the fat we eat goes right into the fat stores of the body.

It's the refining and processing of carbohydrates that causes problems: the volume of the food goes down, while its caloric concentration goes up. It's this caloric density that makes it so easy to eat too many calories! But when carbohydrates are eaten along with their fiber, then you can eat more food yet take in fewer calories.

So what can I eat?

Potatoes and pasta, beans, barley, and rice, fill people's stomachs without overloading the system with calories. Add a variety of fruits and vegetables, and it's virtually impossible to eat enough to gain weight.

But top off these healthy foods with butter, gravies, sauces, salad dressings, sour cream, or cheese, and a nutritious, low-calorie food becomes a caloric disaster.

Eating complex carbohydrates "as grown" with their full complement of fiber but without those fatty toppings, will not only allow you to eat a greater quantity of food and still lose weight, but it will provide you with more consistent energy levels and increased endurance. This kind of eating plan will keep your arteries clean and cut your food bill in half. Where can you find a better bargain than that?