If you’re a fan of Dr Oz, then you must already know about resistant starch. You might also know about Raspberry Ketones and Green Coffee Extract.
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I learned about those latter two things by reading the span in my inbox. The subjects told me that they were Dr Oz recommended.
I learned about resistant starch at my local co-op. I was fumbling around the produce department when our produce princess (that’s what I call her, at least) came by and offered me a special price on some arugula and other slow sellers. I mentioned something about the bananas being too green when another customer who had just grabbed a bunch spoke up telling me that they contained resistant starch.
Arriving home I sat down and got myself an education, which I will pass onto you.
Resistant starches are called “resistant” because they resist digestion. They pass through the stomach and small intestine and land in the colon where they are slowly fermented.
Resistant starches have crept into the consciousness of the public because they affect insulin sensitivity and control blood sugar levels. They’ve become a focus of the dieting industry because when you control blood sugar levels, you allow your body to burn more fat.
In fact, the latest fad in Japan is the “Morning Banana Diet.” It’s so popular that it’s hard to find a banana at the supermarket some days. But there’s more to this diet than just eating a banana in the morning (and they don’t even say “green banana” which would be the best), but the sad part is the diet says no exercise is necessary. I’m sorry, but exercise is necessary for quality of life whether you are dieting or not.
Resistant starches come in four categories, which really means nothing to the average person, but is great if you’re studying physiology.
Resistant starch is no miracle weight loss product. If someone tells you it is, they’re lying. It can help, but you have to know how to use it.
For example, did you know a potato has resistant starch? So, now when you go out, you’re going to order a nice baked potato covered in cheese or sour cream and you’ll still lose weight, right? Wrong. The potato will cause your insulin to rise and store that cheese or sour cream on your hips.
The potato only has resistant starch once it’s cooled. This is why I would prefer a yam or a sweet potato since there is so much more flavor and much more nutrition and eating it cold is delicious. Slice up a sweet potato, grease a cookie pan with a little coconut oil and liquid lecithin, lay out the slices, cook for 45 minutes at 340, and then let cool and munch when hungry. Great cheat food when dieting.
The highest amount of resistant starch is found in legumes (white, navy beans have the highest) followed by whole grains (the green banana is in there) and the new resistant starch flour on the market, and finally some whole grain breads.
Resistant starch can best be exploited by those who have or are leaning toward having type two diabetes. They will keep your blood sugar from spiking which seems to be one of the causes of insulin insensitivity. Keeping your blood sugar from spiking can help when dieting because it keeps your fat metabolizing from slowing down or stopping altogether.
Resistant starch is great for your digestion. Colon cancer is a killer, and it is on the rise in countries that have embraced processed foods. In the colon, resistant starches become a “pre-biotic” feeding your good probiotics.
From an article in Today’s Dietician I found:
The SCFAs produced by bacterial fermentation are butyrate, proprionate, and acetate. These fuel colonocytes that stimulate colonic blood flow, promote colonocyte proliferation, increase tone, and reverse the atrophy associated with fiber-poor diets.2 Butyrate in particular may affect gene expression and induce apoptosis, or normal programmed cell death, which further decreases the risk of developing colon cancer.
The SCFAs also lower the pH of the feces.2 Reduced fecal pH is a marker of colonic health and reduced risk of colon cancer. Studies with both humans and animals show that resistant starches increase fecal weight,2,5 a characteristic thought to help treat and prevent constipation and lower the risk of colon cancer, possibly because of decreased contact between the potential carcinogens and the colon wall. A study comparing the effects of a diet high in resistant starch (39 g/day) to a low resistant starch diet (5 g/day) in 11 men and women found the greater the intake of resistant starch, the greater the increase in fecal output.6 Though significant, the bulking effect of resistant starch isn’t likely as great as the effect of wheat bran and other nonstarch polysaccharides.
First a Few Rules
- Undercook your pasta ─ cook three to four minutes less than what the package tells you.
- Serve rice at room temp ─ the crystals that make up resistant starch are formed and solidified as some foods cool.
- Try a green banana ─ adding one to a smoothie will keep the sweets in the smoothie from spiking your blood sugar. The riper the banana the more sugar and less resistant starch.
- Add Hi-maize ® Resistant Starch to recipes ─ it’s certified non-GMO and gluten free, so feel free to add it to your recipes (see the smoothie below) and look for products that are made with Hi-maize® Resistant Starch.
When I searched for Resistant Starch Flour to purchase, the first site I found that looked really interesting was this one: King Arthur Flour.
Here’s a Banana, Strawberry smoothie recipe that uses Hi-maize® Resistant Starch
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) orange juice
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- ½ medium fresh banana
- 1/3 cup unflavored or plain yogurt
- 1 tablespoon Hi-maize 260 resistant starch
Blend in a blender till smooth and drink!
As you can see, it’s just like a regular smoothie, but with the added resistant starch, you don’t have to worry about your blood sugar spiking.
Further Reading
