Foods High in Resistant Starch

Don’t resist resistant starch! It’s a good-for-you carbohydrate that’s worth seeking out.

Resistant starches are a type of carbohydrate. More specifically, they are a type of fiber. As their name implies, they resist digestion in the small intestine. Because they are neither digested nor absorbed, they do not contribute to blood glucose – a boon for people with diabetes or prediabetes. But they benefit us in still many more ways.

White Bean & Kale Stew

In the colon, intestinal bacteria make a meal out of the resistant starch, and in the process, produce fatty acids that are good for the gut. The good bacteria love this and thrive. The bad guys don’t fare so well. The good intestinal bacteria produce vitamins, detoxify cancer-causing compounds, activate health-promoting compounds, and guard our health in lots of ways. The fatty acids may even improve the body’s response to insulin. And resistant starches might even help you control your weight by increasing the feeling of fullness. So how can you get more resistant starches in your diet? Eat more of the following.

You’ll love this recipe for Mediterranean Chickpea Salad. And to find out more about what resistant starch can do, check out The Fiber You Need to Know.

Foods High in Resistant Starch

• Uncooked oats
• Beans, peas and lentils
• Under-ripe bananas
• Cooked and cooled potatoes
• Barley
• Brown rice
• Quinoa

Muesli & raspberries over cottage cheese

Eat More Resistant Starch

Cooked and chilled potatoes, pasta and other starches tend to have more resistant starch than those that have been cooked but not cooled. Enjoy potato salad, pasta salad and other cold starchy salads in reasonable portions. Uncooked oats are also a good source of resistant starch, but cooked oats are not, though both offer great nutrition. I throw uncooked oats with dried fruit, nuts, and cinnamon together to create a delicious homemade muesli. If you have rye flakes and wheat germ, toss them in too. Muesli is delicious mixed into cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, or even with just a bit of milk.

Enjoy the taste and health benefits of resistant starches! And for more info, check out my more recent post on resistant starches. It comes with a great recipe for veggie-packed, resistant starch-containing potato salad.