1. Staple Foods
Nutrition 3102 Unit 2

2. “Staple”
Staple Foods
Grocery staples

3. Staple Foods Grown in suitable ecosystem Used in multiple dishes
Eaten daily in most homes

4. Wheat

5. Wheat is eaten in many forms
Couscous & vegetables
Wheat germ
Bulgar salad
bran
pasta

6. Wheat is… A staple food in North America, Europe, and northern Asia
Nutritious
Easily stored and transported
Eaten cooked in various forms, or ground into flour to make a variety of foods. Its protein (gluten) allows it to hold a firm structure for bread or pasta.

7. Corn
Staple food regions
Corn-growing regions

8. Corn is eaten in various forms
Cooked kernals
Ground corn can be made into various kinds of porridge, or baked unleavened or leavened

9. Corn is… A staple in Central and South America, and parts of Africa
Grown for livestock feed and commercial uses more than for human food
Less nutritious than wheat
Edible raw, cooked, or dried and ground into cornmeal.

10. Rice
But…

11. Rice is normally eaten as a grain, with the outer covering (bran) removed
Not from same plant!

12. Rice is… A staple in Southern and Eastern Asia
Less nutritious than most other grain staples
Less processed than most other grains, and used in fewer forms.

13. Millet

14. Millet is not edible raw, but can be used in sweet or savoury dishes.
Breakfast porridge: Africa
Soup: India
Pancakes with chilies and onions: India
Millet puffs: Japan

15. Millet is… Grown in central Africa and India
Able to survive drought and poor soil
Nutritious and easy to store and transport
Usually eaten as a kind of porridge or stew.

16. Potatoes
Potato production
Potato consumption

17. Although potatoes are eaten often, they are less of a staple food than in the past.
Sweet potatoes and yams are actually different plants than potatoes.

18. Potatoes… Are popular in North America, and Europe
Are nutritious and easy to grow
Are harder to transport and store than grains
Can’t be used in as many ways as grains