Resistant starch is a major component in the fiber family that has massive positive impacts on your digestion and gut health. I love talking about resistant starch as a hormone specialist, because hormone problems are gut problems. In this blog, I break down how resistant starch impacts your gut, and how you can incorporate it in your diet.
The Science
Resistant starch acts like a soluble and fermentable fiber. It travels through the stomach and small intestine undigested, fermenting in the digestive tract and ultimately feeding good gut bacteria in the colon.
Some benefits of resistant starch include:
- pH level reduction in the colon
- Lowered inflammation
- Better mineral absorption
- Increased gut-friendly butyrate
- Lowered risk of colon cancer
- Improved insulin sensitivity
Resistant starch promotes overall blood sugar stability but lowering blood sugar spike after meals. Blood sugar stability is a huge factor in hormone health, so fiber and resistant starch can be a huge helper! Keep reading for sources of resistant starch.
Sources of Resistant Starch
Different types of resistant starch behave differently in the body. Here are the four types:
- Found in grains, seeds, and legumes. Resists digestion because it is bound in fibrous cell walls.
- Found in starchy foods such as raw potatoes and green (unripe) bananas
- Formed from the cooking and cooling of starchy foods such as potatoes and rice. The cooling process turns some of the digestible starches into resistant starches, and this chemical change remains even if the food is reheated.
- Man made resistant starch
These are my favorite foods high in resistant starch:
- Soaked raw steel cut oats
- Cooked and cooled rice and potatoes
- Soaked and pressure cooked beans and legumes
- 1-2 tbsp raw potato starch
- Green bananas
- Cooked and cooled bean pasta
These foods are high in different kinds of resistant starch and have massive benefits for your gut health! Stick around for how I like to include these in my diet.
Including Resistant Starch in Your Diet
If you are just learning about resistant starch, you may feel overwhelmed about how to include it in your diet. However, it may be easier than you think! Here are my hacks to add resistant starch into my diet.
- Add to smoothies: use a green banana in your smoothie or toss in some soaked steel cut oats or raw potato starch! Try this snickerdoodle smoothie recipe or this green smoothie recipe.
- Eat your leftovers: if you have leftover potatoes or rice, they are now sources of resistant starch, even when reheated.
- Prepare ahead: similar to the leftovers idea, you can turn your normal meals into resistant starch by making them in advance. Make a pasta salad or prep rice ahead for the week.
In Conclusion
Resistant starch is an important component of fibrous foods, and is crucial to include in your diet for optimal gut health, and ultimately hormone health. By incorporating resistant starch by adding it to smoothies or cooking and cooling starchy foods, you can easily feed your gut microbiome, improve digestion, and balance blood sugar.
