What foods contain resistant starch?

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

You've probably heard of carb restriction. And starch is not associated with he alth. However, it is not only harmful, but also beneficial. This is resistant starch, or resistant. Its beneficial effects and sources are described in the article.

What is this?

Resistant starch is a product that is resistant to digestive juices. It also has the name indigestible. The main digestive processes take place in the small intestine, where normal starches are digested. Resistant starch has the properties of vegetable fiber and is digested slightly. The body lacks the enzymes that break it down.

Such a product is food for the beneficial intestinal microflora - the microbiome. This is a complex carbohydrate that passes unchanged from the small intestine to the large intestine, where it is fermented by bacteria with the fiber present in food to release valuable products - short-chain fatty acids. The most valuable is butyric acid - butyrate. It provides nutrition to intestinal cells and beneficial microflora, hasanti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effect.

Opening

Science is interested in the valuable properties of starches, including resistant ones. Special attention was drawn to them several decades earlier. Scientists studying malignant intestinal tumors have found that some peoples and tribes in East Africa have a lower incidence of bowel cancer.

These people had a small amount of fiber in their diet, which at that time was the main means of preventing intestinal cancer. And there were many high-starchy foods. These are corn, bananas, sweet potatoes, yams. Among these peoples, few people had diabetes, heart and vascular diseases. Later it was found that the reason is the high content of resistant starch in these products. Later, interest in it increased, their great importance and multifaceted effects on the body were discovered.

Types of starch

What foods contain resistant starch? This will be discussed further. You should also consider the classification of this component. Resistant starch in foods is of the following types:

1. The first is present in cereals - whole and coarse grinding, seeds, legumes, root crops. It is resistant to digestion due to its association with fiber.
2. The second is in potato starch, raw potatoes, green bananas. The body digests it after heat treatment. But after it, starch is not considered resistant and is not able to nourish beneficial microflora.
3. The third is in boiledstarchy foods after cooling: in potatoes, white and brown rice, oatmeal. They are also rich in pasta, legumes, root crops. Found in whole grain and wholemeal breads.
4. The fourth type is chemically modified starch. It is made from corn. The product is used to create products, semi-finished products.

A he althy person should eat only the first three types of resistant starch. Only they are able to have a positive effect on the body.

Useful properties

Resistant starch is a very valuable substance that has many positive properties:

1. Maintenance of beneficial intestinal microflora and oppression of pathogenic. Butyrate, which is released during the breakdown of resistant starches by enzymes of beneficial bacteria, is food for them. Beneficial microflora develops, inhibits the growth of pathogenic.
2. Nutrition of intestinal cells. Butyrate is able to saturate the cells of this organ, in addition, it is the main source of energy.
3. Participation in the regulation of blood sugar. This is the most important property. Resistant starches are "slow" carbohydrates that are broken down by bacterial enzymes. The effect of the substance on blood sugar and insulin is currently being studied. It was found that the presence of this component in food normalizes sugar at low rates and increases insulin sensitivity. This action of starches is important, as it provides preventionailments and maintaining general he alth.
4. Slimming. In addition to fiber and protein, this component provides stable saturation and a minimum of calories. The body receives 2 kcal from 1 g of such starch, and from digestible - 4.2 kcal. Resistant starches are involved in the exchange of fat stores.
5. Improve the absorption and bioavailability of mineral components. The necessary substances, such as calcium and iron, are present in a bound state, and therefore are difficult to digest. A person often experiences a shortage of these components. During the fermentation of starch, the intestinal microflora provides conditions for the normal absorption of minerals.
6. Increase immunity. Butyrate provides nutrition to the cells of the intestinal mucosa. And this organ is considered an important part of the immune system, since there are more immune cells in its mucosa than in the whole body.
7. Improve intestinal motility. Irregular bowel movements, constipation or diarrhea are reduced by adding resistant starch to the diet. It is needed to maintain beneficial intestinal microflora, which is necessary for he althy digestion. Beneficial bacteria protect against diarrhea, allow you to form the correct stool.
8. Prevention of bowel cancer. This is another important reason to eat foods that contain resistant starch. Due to damage to the DNA of intestinal cells and mutations, cancer cells appear. It has been established that with the constant intake of butyrate into the colon, a program of self-destruction of altered cells is launched.

These properties are provided with the correctthe use of resistant starch. Not every product has this effect. This component is vital for the body.

That's all the goodness of resistant starch. It turns out that thanks to its use, a person maintains his he alth, protecting himself from various ailments.

How to replenish?

What foods contain resistant starch? Useful are potatoes and rice. But you should just boil them, and then place them in the refrigerator for several hours. This applies to legumes and other starchy foods, such as pasta. Mashed potatoes and baked potatoes should not be cut out of the diet, but should only be refrigeration.

It should be taken into account that as the component heats up, it becomes normal again and loses its properties. But cooked and chilled food does not have to be consumed cold. It is best to eat them slightly warm. Food can also warm up to room temperature on its own. Cold food is useful for excess weight, the body spends extra calories on its heating.

What foods contain resistant starch other than these? He also has:

• in oatmeal;
• whole grain and wholemeal bread;
• root crops - Jerusalem artichoke, sweet potato, cassava.

According to doctors, resistant starch is of great benefit to the body. You need to eat beans more often. In addition to resistant starch, they include quality vegetable protein. But for some people, legumes lead to bloating. Tothey are better digested, soak them overnight in water before cooking.

In Indian and Asian cuisines, asafoetida spice is used, which facilitates the digestion of legumes. But it is also sold in Russia. Legumes are in perfect harmony with non-starchy vegetables, herbs, you can cook vegetable and meat salads with them.

Other sources

A lot of this component in unripe bananas, raw potato starch. Eating unripe fruits and starches is not always desirable, but they can be added to oatmeal smoothies. Still unripe bananas can be added to fruit salads.

Potato starch is allowed to be added to dishes. It is advisable to use with 1 tbsp. l. per day, increasing the dosage to 3 tablespoons for best effect. If this is done regularly, the beneficial effect occurs after 1-2 weeks, when a lot of butyrate accumulates in the intestines. In 1 st. l. starch, there are 8 g of resistant starch and almost no digestible carbohydrates. It is necessary to adhere to the norm - 40-45 g per day, and an overdose leads to increased gas formation.

An excellent solution is to take resistant starches in their natural form. Therefore, you need to eat boiled rice, potatoes, legumes, unripe bananas, root vegetables. Useful salads with lentils, beans, potatoes. These products provide not only starch, but also fiber and micronutrients. If there are few of them in the diet, you should increase the amount, eat more raw and unprocessed food. Thenresistant starches and vegetable fiber will be supplied to the body.

In 1 medium green banana there is about 15 g of this substance, in 100 g of uncooked oatmeal - 10 g. The best effect of this component is provided when combined with wheat bran. This is necessary for slower fermentation of resistant starch and its higher concentration.

Where else is the component present? There is resistant starch in buckwheat, which is equivalent to fiber. It ferments the beneficial bacteria found in the intestines. As a result, therapeutic short-chain fatty acids are released.

Definition

Method for determining resistant starch on the interaction of iodine with starch with the release of a blue compound. Then preparation for the analysis is carried out. Lugol's solution is being prepared: 2 g of potassium iodide and 1.27 g of iodine must be dissolved in a 150 ml glass in 100 ml of distilled water.

The analysis consists in applying a drop of Lugol solution to a fresh cut of the product. The appearance of a blue or black-blue color indicates the presence of starch in the product.

Diet

The problem with such starch is that in natural food it is present with a high content of the usual. There is also a lot of this component in beans, green peas and other legumes. Resistant starch on a protein diet would be a useful ingredient. The main thing is that products with it are consumed regularly.

In general, the rule is that raw foods have more resistant starch than fried or baked foods, and fried foods have more resistant starch thandifferent from stewed or boiled. This confirms that vegetables should be cooked quickly and easily to preserve he althy starch and vitamins.

A diet high in resistant starch allows you to saturate the body with this useful substance. You just need to follow simple rules:

1. Replenish good bacteria. Fermented vegetables are ideal for this: sauerkraut, kimchi. Probiotic capsules are also effective.
2. You need to use butter. It contains butyric acid, which is also important for the normal condition of the colon.
3. It is necessary to increase "animal fiber" - products useful for microflora. This is the skin of fish, chicken, offal.
4. Slowly increase your intake of soluble fiber foods like celery, Brussels sprouts, asparagus.
5. Resistant starch should be tested as potato flour. First, use 2 tablespoons a day, and over time, bring the intake to 3-4 tbsp. spoons. Can be diluted in water or full-fat yogurt.

With the positive effect of the component, insulin sensitivity increases, blood sugar decreases, and the condition of the gastrointestinal tract improves. Then you can try other sources of the component: black beans, green bananas, cashews, peanuts.

Terms of Use

Potato starch is an inexpensive product found in regular stores. But in some products, where its presence is indicated, it may contain "potatoflour". Therefore, it is important to read the composition on the package. If you buy potato starch, you need to make sure that it is non-GMO and made from organic potatoes.

The product is used to thicken sauces, stews, soups, custards and puddings. It is also used in gluten-free and Easter baked goods. If potato starch is used to thicken a hot liquid, be careful not to boil it.

Instead of potato starch, you can choose potato flour. It has a pronounced taste, heavy texture. Arrowroot starch is considered a useful substitute that has many valuable properties. Non-GMO corn product is gluten-free and rich in nutrients. It is best used to thicken dairy products. And arrowroot interacts better with acidic liquids. Corn starch and arrowroot can be used in place of potato starch in a 1:1 ratio.

Is this starch good for everyone?

It can not be consumed by everyone. With irritable bowel syndrome, you need to limit the intake of insoluble dietary fiber, and therefore resistant starches.

Thus, this component is not just a valuable substance with fiber properties. It is required to maintain the constancy of the internal environment of the intestine.