Attention all carbohydrate lovers, this new research will make you happy. Some studies are revealing that certain types of carbohydrates are not always a bad thing. Before you run out to buy donuts, make sure you understand which type of carbohydrates can actually help you lose weight. Starch resistant carbohydrates are the right answer!
The starch in potatoes, cereals, and baked goods usually digests quickly. Other starchy foods, such as beans, barley, or long grained brown rice, tend to take longer to digest, and cause a much slower blood sugar rise. These starches actually go all the way through the small intestine before digestion. They “resist” being digested; hence the name, “resistance starches”.
Starch Resistant Carbohydrates: What and How?
Starch resistant carbohydrates have a molecule that is tightly packed, making your body work much harder to digest. They resist digestion while in the small intestine and move on into the large intestine to slowly continue the process. That delay in digesting is what makes them an ally for you losing weight. The carbohydrates do not turn into glucose and spike your blood sugar. Instead, they act more like fiber and flush out your system.
Some examples of starch resistance carbohydrates that work for you are:
- Barley
- Sweet Potatoes, Potatoes and Yams – especially when cooked and cooled
- Whole Grain Pasta
- Rolled Oats
- Lentils
- Corn
- Beans: e.g. Navy, Black, Pinto, Red, Chick Peas, Black Eyed, Kidney
- Whole grains e.g. Quinoa or Wheat Berries
- Plantains
- Green Bananas
- Brown rice
There is also resistant starch present in whole grain cereal, bread or pasta. Stay away from white bread and white pasta, which digests more quickly, and turns to glucose.
How do they work?
The fact that starch resistant carbohydrates ferment in the large intestine is the main reason they affect us differently. This difference can be beneficial in the following ways:
- Your helpings of starch resistant carbohydrates throughout the day comprise a lot less calories than starchy carbohydrates, dairy, or protein.
- Starch resistant carbohydrates, full of vitamins and nutrients, help regulate your metabolism which is essential for burning calories and losing weight.
- Fiber not only helps keep your digestive track clean, it makes you feel much fuller. Starch resistant carbohydrates are high in fiber; hence, more filling. The need to eat between meals decreases and that means even less calories consumed. More than other types of fiber, starch resistant fiber also triggers a hormonal reaction that diminishes the desire for more food.
Besides the weight benefits, research is also revealing that adding these foods to your diet can have disease fighting and immune boosting effects. Increasing your servings of starch resistant carbohydrates can help you lose unwanted pounds, without feeling hungry. Go on and experience a little resistance for a change!
– Linda Ingham
As a mother of five, licensed attorney and fitness nut, Linda Ingham enjoys writing about many subjects, including law, gardening, health and fitness, child rearing and travel. Check out her articles at www.pathacross.com