Diets that involve reducing the amount of carbohydrates in the diet have the main purpose of avoiding an increase in the level of glucose in the blood. The high level of sugar in the blood predisposes to the onset of obesity, a type 2 diabetes, a cerebrovascular accidents and Alzheimer’s disease. For this reason it is advisable to reduce the amount of starchy foods, but not any type of starch, as you are about to learn.
Some starchy foods are digested very quickly, which is why they cause a rapid rise in blood sugar, while others are digested more slowly, resulting in an insignificant rise in blood sugar.
However, there is also a third category of starchy foods, namely resistant starch, which cannot be digested in any form in the intestine, so it doesn’t have any kind of influence on blood sugar and which, according to studies, has numerous health benefits.
In short, the beneficial effects of foods rich in resistant starch, which we will discuss below, consist in the regulation of insulin sensitivity, reducing excessive appetiteeliminating extra pounds, improving diarrhea, improving digestion and assimilation SOCCER and other minerals in the body.
What is starch?
Starch is a substance made up of multiple chains of simple saccharides, which is why it is also called complex carbohydrates. The reason resistant starch is good for your health is because it nourishes healthy bacteriait comes from the intestine and therefore increases the production of fatty acids.
Starch consists of two types of molecular components: amylose and amylopectin. Furthermore, the proportion of amylose to amylopectin is what determines the nutritional effects of foods on the human body.
For example, the starches of legumes (lentils, beans) have a higher amylose load (from 33-66%), compared to cereals (15-28%), tubers (17-22%) or some varieties of corn used in food industry as a thickener (less than (1%).
In other words, the lower the proportion of amylose, the more starch tends to turn into glucose and the higher the blood sugar.
Of course, it also matters a lot the way in which the respective foods are thermally prepared. For example, if a potato is fried in an oil bath, at high temperatures, the percentage of amylose will decrease significantly, thus making the potato a food with high glycemic index, therefore contraindicated in any balanced diet. If, on the other hand, the potato is cooked and left to cool before being consumed, the proportion of amylose will be preserved and the effects on blood sugar will not be negative.
Starchy foods to avoid if you want to lose weight
Although complex carbohydrates are excellent sources of energy, there are many starchy foods that are not healthy. These foods are low in nutrients, high in calories, sugar and sweeteners.
The most contraindicated starchy food, especially for people suffering from diabetes or blood sugar fluctuations, is White rice.
Then come the chips and breakfast cereals full of sugar and other ingredients such as corn syrup, rich in fructosea carbohydrate believed to be the main trigger of the global obesity epidemic.
Also, pretzels, donuts, biscuits, white bread, chips and any other food prepared at high temperature in oil is to be avoided if you have blood sugar problems or want to get rid of a few extra pounds.
Also, frying starchy foods leads to the release of a chemical called acrylamide, which has harmful effects on health.
The advantages of resistant starch
Eating foods rich in resistant starch is beneficial for colon health because it regulates pH and inflammation. Hence, the risk of colorectal cancer, which ranks fourth in terms of mortality.
Additionally, consuming starches can improve symptoms of conditions such as ulcerative colitis, Crohn’s diseasechronic constipation, diarrhea or diverticulitis.
In laboratory animal studies, resistant starch has been shown to improve absorption of minerals in the body, but no research has yet been carried out on human subjects, which is why there are still no firm recommendations regarding the amount and types of foods that should be consumed to observe the same positive effects.
Foods rich in resistant starch are also indicated in slimming beltsbecause they give a sense of satiety and do not have many calories, plus they keep you at a distance gluttonous. But it’s not necessarily the starch that aids in the weight loss process, in particular FIBER from the composition of these foods.
Additionally, foods rich in resistant starch contain large amounts of calcium, iron, protein and vitamin B, which helps the body function well.
Foods rich in resistant starch
The highest levels of resistant starch are found in the following foods (100 grams): baked potatoes (3.5 grams), startdried beans (4.2 g), oats (11.3 g), plantain (3.5g), raw bananas (4g), cashews (13g), brown rice (4.2g), wholemeal pasta, quinoasprouted wheat (6.2g), barley (2.4g), muesli (3.3g), rye bread (4.5g).
And in the case of these foods, this must be taken into account they should not be consumed immediately after preparationbut it must first be cooled so that the starch has beneficial qualities on digestion.
Since there are no concrete studies on the amount of starch and beneficial effects, the general recommendation is that one third of the daily diet should consist of such foods.
Food starch: benefits and contraindications
As for corn starch, respectively food starch in the sachet, which we find in any store, it has the role of thickening sauces, soups and creams for various desserts.
However, it does attract attention the nutritionist Flavia Manole“between food starch and flour, it is preferable to choose flour for thickening sauces. Although both variants have approximately the same caloric load, flour, preferably whole, has a higher content of nutrients, such as vitamins from complex B, iron and zinc “.
In addition, food starch can present possible adverse reactions such as weight gain, high blood pressure, allergies or amylophages (eating disorder consisting in the abnormal desire to consume edible corn starch).
Conversely, food starch can be helpful for some skin problems. See here what are the benefits of food starch!
–
