Should You Be Eating More Carbs?
Resistant starch may be the key to enjoying the most effective low-carb lifestyle
If you’ve been following a keto, paleo, or low carb diet for any amount of time you know that the health benefits can be transformational.
But if you’re leaving starches out of your diet completely in the name of health — you may be missing out on crucial nutrients that actually won’t affect your waistline.
Before you get too excited, we’re not talking about indulging in donuts and cookies.
Unfortunately, sweets are still not an ideal staple of a healthy diet. But resistant starches? This is where we can think about indulging in a little carb-y goodness once in a while.
What are resistant starches?
Think of resistant starch as that healthier, trimmer cousin to white flour. These are the carbs that your body can’t actually digest. They can’t be used as fuel, per se. They do, however, provide a food source for all of those healthy gut microbiota you’ve been growing in your digestive system as a result of your healthy lifestyle.
They are what we call pre-biotics — and as these resistant starches are consumed by the pro-biotics in your gut, amazing things are produced as a result of this process. Short chain fatty acids like butyrate start to join the party in your colon and help protect you from colon cancer and leaky gut — things we all want to avoid.
These super-foods are considered starches, yes, but they don’t affect blood sugar or your carb count — because they aren’t digested properly. So no need to dismiss them even if you’re following a keto or paleo lifestyle.
What else can resistant starches do for your body?
- Add some much-needed fiber benefits to your digestive process
Healthy and regular elimination is so crucial to a healthy life, mind, and weight. Crippling your daily detox by not consuming enough fiber is exactly the opposite of what you want to do for your health. This is one way resistant starches up the success factor of any diet — especially for those on keto who experience less-than-optimal trips to the bathroom.
- Help you feel fuller, longer
We all are looking for ways to make the food we eat fill us up as long as possible, right? Well, increasing resistant starch consumption can help to improve leptin levels — this is the hormone your body uses as a signal to understand that it’s full.
So when we enjoy resistant starch, we help the communication process between gut and brain that cues satiety — meaning we can eat less and feel fuller — one of the cornerstones of any healthy diet.
- Help stabilize blood sugar
Regulating blood sugar can be the key to unlocking a healthy life for so many people. Escaping the trap of insulin resistance is crucial for success on any diet. Studies have shown that resistant starch can actually reduce blood sugar — in some cases, showing up to a 50% increase in insulin sensitivity!
6 examples of resistant starches:
1. Green Bananas
2. Raw potatoes
3. Cooked and cooled white rice or potatoes
4. Cassava flour
5. Tiger nuts
6. Raw oats
6 Easy ways to incorporate resistant starch into your diet:
- Resistant starch smoothies — Blend green bananas, green banana powder, or potato starch into your smoothies — they both provide a very subtle flavor that you likely won’t even notice when blended in with other ingredients.
- Cooked white rice or potatoes — and let them cool before consuming them along with some healthy fat.
- Low carb pancakes or waffles — use half almond flour and half cassava flour in your favorite pancake batter and you will be amazed at how fluffy and delicious they are!
- Tiger nuts — you can purchase these at any health food store or even on Amazon. With a nutty flavor, they are an easy way to snack on resistant starch.
- Miracle noodles — have you seen those strange noodles packed in liquid in the plastic bag in the produce section? They are made from konjac root and are full of resistant starch. A great way to satisfy that pasta craving.
- Raw oats — when raw, oats contain more resistant starch than when they are cooked. So if you’re carb-cycling, you may want to try overnight oats (add them to a liquid of choice raw and put them in the fridge overnight before consuming) or blend them up into a no-bake granola recipe.
If you’ve never had large quantities of resistant starch before, be sure to take it easy when incorporating them into your diet. Too much of a good thing too fast can cause bloating, gas, and intestinal discomfort. Try adding small amounts at a time and increase slowly — and enjoy the benefits of better digestion, lower blood sugar, and overall improved gut health.
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28535508
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25582732
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26406392
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30827823
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30696735
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29231905
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24160296
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26043725
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28222742
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8092089
