Healthy Bits · Nutrition & wellness
Resistant starch
Resistant starch is a type of starch that resists digestion in your small intestine and travels on to your large intestine, where it acts like fiber and feeds your beneficial gut bacteria. As they ferment it, they produce butyrate, a short-chain fatty acid that nourishes the cells lining your colon. Research also links resistant starch with a gentler rise in blood sugar.
Here's the fun part: cooking and then cooling certain starches increases their resistant starch. Good sources:
- Cooked and cooled potatoes, rice and pasta (reheating is fine)
- Slightly green bananas
- Beans and lentils
- Overnight oats
Try this: make a potato salad or chill tonight's rice for tomorrow's lunch. Start small, since more fiber can mean a little extra gas at first.
- gut health
- fiber
- blood sugar
- meal prep
Healthy Bits are for general education and aren’t medical advice. Check with your doctor or healthcare provider before making changes, especially if you’re pregnant or nursing, take medication, or are managing a health condition.