“I read an interesting note from a nutritionist, which said that starch, contrary to popular belief, can be beneficial. It's true? It's hard to believe that you can lose weight and improve your health by eating potatoes and bananas"
Emma, 26 years old
Nutritionist's answer:
About starch, everyone usually says about the same thing. This is a complex carbohydrate consisting of amylopectins and amylose, which is one of the suppliers of carbohydrates to our body, is included in all carbohydrate products along with sugars and fiber, has a high glycemic index and therefore is contraindicated for diabetics and those who are losing weight. White rice, potatoes and many other foods are rich in starch. But who knows that there is a completely different starch - one that only has a similar name? Starch, which is useful for losing weight and diabetics, can be easily bought abroad in its pure form. Unfortunately, we can only find products containing such starch. The paradox is that, without even knowing it, you either ate it, or, most likely, you still eat it.
This beneficial starch is called "resistant starch".
It is known that a regular carbohydrate ─ complex or simple ─ has 4 calories per gram, and resistant starch ─ only 1.5 calories! By eating foods rich in resistant starch, you immediately cut calories in your diet, even if you didn't plan to.
Move on. According to statistics, every second resident of Russia has problems with the gastrointestinal tract, ranging from gastritis and ending with irritable bowel syndrome and increased gas production. These problems come from childhood, which accumulate like a snowball with age. Stress, fast food, eating disorders, overeating and simply not the best quality food ─ and now we come to allergic reactions to foods that have not previously caused them, and irritable bowel syndrome becomes a chronic diagnosis.
Resistant starch is one of the foods that heal the intestines, because it is food for the bacteria that live in it.
An insufficient amount of such bacteria badly affects both well-being and immunity, and is even the culprit for depressive moods. Once in the large intestine, resistant starch is fermented by bacteria and converted into short-chain fatty acids. When we consume foods rich in resistant starch, we not only feed our microflora, but also cleanse the intestines and stimulate immunity. Moreover, resistant starch affects intestinal motility and peristalsis and performs the function of detoxification, "dragging" the products of protein metabolism with it.
Where can you find such a valuable ingredient? Most often, resistant starch is found in beans, oatmeal and oatmeal, and green bananas (by the way, this is the most unusual source of resistant starch - the greener the banana, the healthier it is for the intestines, and the better it is for the figure).
Last note: the amount of resistant starch in starchy foods increases after they are cooled, and at the same time the glycemic index decreases. Therefore, if you cannot deny yourself potatoes, then the easiest way to make them healthier is to put them in the refrigerator overnight. So potato salad or pancakes made from green banana flour are your choice.
Alisa Fuzeeva
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Photo: Getty Images
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