Nanosized modified starch (NMS) is a kind of modified starches with at least one dimension in nanometer-length scale, including starch nanoparticles (SNP) and starch nanofibers (SNF). During the past decade, NMS has gradually become the hotspot research for food nanotechnology because of its unique characteristics as nano-materials and advantages of widely available raw materials, biodegradable and biocompatible. Its application has covered in various food uses such as new packaging materials, the active ingredient carries, food texture improvement and other aspects. This paper aims to summarize their physico-chemical properties related to food as well as two different preparation methods, i.e. "top-down" and "bottom-up" techniques and application-orientated modifications thereof. Additionally, the research trend and prospects of these NMS are proposed by specifically considering the potential applications in food science and industry.