Hi James. When we talk about food we call “starches”, we are using the broad definition of this. We are using the nomenclature that Dr. McDougall uses. He refers to “a starch” as a plant food where starch is a main (or the primary) component of the macronutrients. They contain amylopectin as their main digestible starch, and then contain varying amounts of resistant starches and fiber. They also contain small to medium amounts of protein and generally low in fat. They, of course, also contain a wide range of vitamins and minerals.
Starches generally fall into a few broad categories. Tubers or root tubers, grains, pulses or legumes, peas, squashes, and then misc things like cooked carrots or green banana. The focus is on using the whole starch, when possible, with minimal processing. This means not removing or adding as much as possible. It doesn’t preclude baking, cutting, grating, using whole grain flours, blending, or seasoning. These practices just change the palatability or texture, but aren’t trying to isolate just a component or macronutrient of the starch food.
I kinda think of it like this: when I look at my plate, I should be able to immediately recognize most of the foods used to make my dish, even if I didn’t cook it myself. When I see curried chickpeas with potatoes and carrots and onions, I don’t need to ask the wife what foods are on my plate even though she made it without me seeing any of the prep work. As opposed to when I look at a slice of bread, I can guess there’s some wheat flour but there’s also a bunch of other stuff that I’d have to look at the package to know it’s there. And as far as a Beyond Burger, I have no freaking idea what that thing is made of. Not saying I only eat unprocessed stuff. Just saying that my diet focuses on foods that are minimally processed, with bread and other processed plant foods eaten only occasionally.
But to answer your specific question, yes pulses are a regular starch based food that I eat. Big fan of beans and lentils. If I remember correctly, pulses tend to have higher amounts of resistant starches and fiber than most tubers and grains. Pulses also tend to have more protein than tubers or grains, with some exceptions being quinoa and oats. Since I don’t count macronutrients anymore, I don’t get picky about how much of this or that starch food I eat. I just rotate them around as my preference dictates (and whatever the wife has cooked recently). I am pretty open and not picky about my foods, tending to air on the side of simplicity. I could eat rice and beans filled wraps all week and be happy. The wife is the one who needs more variety, so I simply come along for the ride, so to speak.
I have been doing this 50% starch, 30% fruit, 10% non starchy vegetables, 10% nuts/seeds diet for about 8 or 9 months. And I’ve been 99% plant based for a whole year. At first I was eating more nuts but found that could be rough on my stomach. So I reduced that and began eating more fruit. This includes dates and raisins, as well as the high GI ones like mangos. Up to 8 servings of fruit per day. To my surprise, I gained no body fat and am actually “too skinny” according to my coworkers. To them I reply, “I may be skinny, but I’m thick in all the right places.”. That usually shuts them up.
Overall I feel very good on the new diet. The only negative effects are the unsolicited comments from people. When I was fat and diabetic, no one said anything. I had to become slim and fit to experience negative body shaming. That’s okay. I’m hoping I’ll outlive my detractors anyway.