THE KEY TO EATING YOUR FAVORITE CARBS: RESISTANT STARCH

We love our carbs (the potatoes, rice, grains, oats, etc) but not the blood sugar spike that can happen after… so here is what you can do and why…

Resistant starch has emerged as a powerful dietary component for improving gut health and overall wellbeing. Unlike regular starch that gets fully digested in the small intestine, resistant starch passes through to the large intestine where it acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria. A landmark clinical study published in the Journal of Nutrition by Robertson et al. (2005) demonstrated that consuming 15-30 grams of resistant starch daily for just four weeks significantly increased butyrate production—a short-chain fatty acid that reduces inflammation and strengthens the intestinal barrier. The researchers observed improved insulin sensitivity and reduced post-meal blood glucose levels among participants, suggesting resistant starch may play a valuable role in managing metabolic health.

What makes resistant starch particularly interesting is that you can increase its content in everyday foods through simple cooking modifications. When carbohydrate-rich foods like potatoes, rice, pasta, and oats are cooked and then cooled for at least 12 hours, a process called retrogradation occurs. This restructures the starch molecules into a more resistant form that resists digestion. For example, cooking and cooling white rice can increase its resistant starch content by up to 2.5 times. Interestingly, even after reheating these foods, much of the resistant starch remains intact, making meal prep an effective strategy for boosting your intake.

To incorporate more resistant starch into your diet, try preparing overnight oats with unripe bananas (another excellent source), cooking a large batch of beans or lentils and refrigerating them for salads throughout the week, or making potato salad with potatoes that have been cooked and chilled. For rice dishes, consider cooking extra for dinner, refrigerating overnight, and then using the cold rice for lunch the next day or reheating it for another meal. Even simple changes like letting your cooked oatmeal cool before eating can increase its resistant starch content. These practical approaches allow you to enjoy the same foods you already love while significantly enhancing their nutritional benefits.

Reference: Robertson, M. D., Bickerton, A. S., Dennis, A. L., Vidal, H., & Frayn, K. N. (2005). Insulin-sensitizing effects of dietary resistant starch and effects on skeletal muscle and adipose tissue metabolism. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 82(3), 559-567. https://doi.org/10.1093/ajcn/82.3.559