 Most carbohydrates break down and get absorbed in the small intestine. So if you’re eating processed and refined carbohydrates these can break down quickly, leading to insulin spikes and high blood sugar issues as well as inflammation throughout the body. Resistance starch is different. It’s a carbohydrate and dietary fiber that does NOT get absorbed in the small intestine but rather travels to the colon unaltered (1). Resistant starch delays the digestion/absorption process until it reaches the colon where it then breaks down and produces, among other things, a short chain fatty acid called butyrate. Butyrate has anti-inflammatory effects and has been shown to kill cancer cells in the colon through a process called apoptosis - or cell death (2). Because of its slower absorption process, resistant starch also helps to stabilize blood sugar, which decreases ones risk for diabetes or helps those already with diabetes better control their blood glucose levels (3).
I like my clients to incorporate resistant starch into their diets as a means of prevention, reduce inflammation, and to increase their dietary fiber. It’s easy to incorporate and can be found in plenty of healthy foods such as yams, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, beans, legumes, rice, and unripe bananas. When you cook potatoes or rice, and then cool them down in the refrigerator, the resistant starch expands giving you more bang for your buck, so recipes like delicious potato salad can be the perfect solution to incorporating resistant starch into your diet (4). One can also supplement their diet with a resistant starch called potato starch. I like to put 1 tablespoon in my green smoothies each morning. This is a sure fire way to incorporate resistant starch into your diet, as well as eating the above nutritious whole food carbs. So give it a try. Make a habit of eating some of these resistant starch foods daily. Your blood sugar and colon will thank you! xx
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