Beyond Simple Fiber: How Pairing Resistant Starches with Healthy Fats Unlocks Post-Meal Energy

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It’s a message that you’ve heard numerous times: “eat more fiber.” It’s a good piece of advice, but it’s quite generic. There are various types of fibre, and each type has a specific function in the body. One particular type is much under-recognized and has much lower consumption than it deserves: resistant starch. Combine it with healthy fats to create light meals that help maintain energy and focus all day long.

Here it’s a simple post. You will learn what resistant starch is, what your gut can create from it, and how to create quick, simple food ideas that incorporate it.

What is Resistant Starch?

The starch in food is rapidly converted to sugar in your small intestine. It’s resistant starch that’s different. It passes into your large intestine largely intact and is “resistant” to digestion.

Here, the good bacteria in your digestive system eat it! That’s why it is so similar to fibre, despite being derived from starchy food such as rice or potatoes.

The interesting part is this. Some starchy foods can have more resistant starch if they are cooked and then cooled. Rice and potatoes, and also sweet potatoes, when cooled, alter the structure of their starch, making them more resistant to digestion. This procedure is called retrogradation by scientists. It is not necessary to memorize the word. The only rule to remember: fresh cooked starch, cooked and cooled will be less blood-sugar-raising than cooked starch will be, when freshly cooked.

So what are SHORT CHAIN FATTY ACIDS (SCFAs)?

Small molecules called short-chain fatty acids are produced by gut bacteria when they consume resistant starch. There are three predominant ones: acetate, propionate and butyrate.

The significance of these molecules is:

• Your colon’s cells use butyrate as their main fuel, and a healthy colon is essential for good health.
• Propionate and acetic acid enter the bloodstream and can help to control blood sugar and hunger.
• SCFAs additionally lower inflammation in the digestive system.

Now I don’t mean to say that this is in your gut (colon) but several hours after you ate. The concept that SCFAs are just instant energy (correct) is therefore not correct. They will be included in a progressive and steady diet that will keep your metabolism up for the long term.

Then why is it that you are going on this Healthy Fats?

SCFAs are NOT formed from healthy fats. They are different, but they have their benefits.

Fat is a factor in reducing your speed of digestion. When the starch is consumed with the fat, it will enter the bloodstream at a slower rate than the starch alone. That works out to be a more gradual ascent, fewer sharp corrections and a sharp drop tends to bring on sleepiness and hunger at the time of 3 p.m.

Fat makes food tastier, makes you feel full longer, and assists your body to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K from food.

The idea is rather straightforward, then. Resistant starch feeds the gut and helps to calm sugar responses. Healthy Fat makes for a slower meal and satisfies you. Together they make an energy-balanced meal.

So, why the Healthy Fats?

Healthy fats don’t produce SCFAs. They do different things, but they serve a valuable purpose.

Fat is a factor in reducing your speed of digestion. If the starch is eaten along with the fat, it releases sugar more slowly into the blood than just the starch. That translates to a more gradual rise with less jarring declines and a decline is often the trigger for sleepiness and hunger at 3 p.m.

Fat makes food tastier, makes you feel full longer, and assists your body in absorbing vitamins A, D, E, and K from food.

So the concept is pretty simple. Resistant starch nourishes the gut and dampens sugar reactions. Healthy Fat makes for a slower meal and leaves you satisfied. Combined, they provide a balanced energy meal.

A few foods are good resistant starch foods.

There is no need for special products. There are several common foods that are good:

• Cooked and chilled rice
• When potatoes or sweet potatoes are cooked and cooled.
• Beans, chickpeas and lentils, boiled.
• Slightly green bananas
• Oats, particularly Overnight Oats.

Good Healthy Fat Partners

• Avocado
• Seeds: Chia seeds, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, or sesame seeds
• Nuts
• Olive oil
• In moderate amounts, coconut

Easy Meal Ideas

• Chilled rice bowl. Use as a base after cooking and cooling rice in the refrigerator. Add slices of avocado, boiled egg, or chickpeas and then add a spoon of sesame seeds. It’s completed with a pinch of lime.
• Sweet potato salad. Cubes of sweet potato roasted, cooled and tossed with fresh greens, olive oil and pumpkin seeds.
• Lentils and coconut bowl. Cook lentils and chill. Squeeze on some tomato, lime and chopped onion, and sprinkle on a little grated coconut!
• Overnight oats. Put the oats in a bowl, cover with milk or yogurt and let it sit overnight. Add chia seeds. Serve with a few nuts in the morning.

The following are some simple tips for getting started

• After cooking, eat twice. Overcook rice or potatoes; keep in the fridge for the next day.
• Cool them fully. Refrigerate starch foods for several hours, preferably overnight.
• Reheating is fine. There is some resistant starch that is not fully digested during a moderate reheat, but this may be slightly diminished from the original quantity.
• Store food safely. Cooked rice should be put in the fridge within about 1 to 2 hours. Don’t let it get too warm and consume it within the next 1 or 2 days, or the food can become contaminated with the bacteria that cause food poisoning.
• Go slowly. Add one food to the diet at a time. The first time a person takes the dose of the large fermentable fiber, they may have a bit of gas or bloating. Give the body 1–2 weeks to acclimatize.

This is a note about what you should expect in this lesson

Food is not magic. Not eating resistant starch will not make up for a bad sleep or a stressful day. Research is ongoing and others are achieving varying results. It could be different, however, in some digestive disorders and if you are taking diabetes medication, talk to your health care practitioner or nutritionist about any major changes.

However, it is done in a non-stressful manner and with RIR. But it is done gently and low-risk using normal food. It’s a good addition to authentic dishes.

Final Thoughts

While eating more fiber is a start, eating the correct fiber with the correct fat is a game-changer. Cooled resistant starches feed your gut bacteria and aid the formation of SCFAs. Healthy fats help to slow digestion and satiate you. As a whole, they assist you in avoiding a severe dip in energy after lunch.

Start small. Prepare your rice in the evening, then enhance it with avocado and seeds when you eat it the following day and see how your afternoon goes.