Lose weight with carbohydrates
Eat pasta, rice and potatoes without a guilty conscience and still lose weight? With a little trick, it’s possible.
What is resistant starch? Carbohydrate foods all contain starch. In simple terms, starch is a long chain of glucose molecules. This is converted into sugar during digestion. However, resistant starch is mainly found in raw carbohydrate-rich foods, such as raw potatoes, corn kernels, unripe bananas and bread with many unprocessed grains. But it is also formed by cooling cooked starchy foods. The process takes between 12 and 24 hours.
How can you lose weight with resistant starch?
The trick is to cook it the day before! By cooling cooked starchy foods, the starch changes its chemical structure. So potatoes, rice or pasta are turned into resistant starch overnight in the fridge, which has fewer calories! Fresh pasta has an average of 140 kcal per 100 grams. After the cooling trick, however, only 70 kcal per 100 grams. The situation is similar with potatoes: When freshly cooked, 100 grams have 70 kcal, thanks to resistant starch, but the next day only 35 kcal per 100 grams. Even after reheating in the pot or microwave, the resistant starch remains intact!
There are additional advantages
Resistant starch prevents blood sugar fluctuations and ensures that the blood sugar level rises and falls more slowly. This keeps us fuller for longer, and cravings don’t stand a chance. Our intestinal bacteria also love resistant starch! They produce butyric acid from it, which helps against inflammation. “Eating more resistant starch is one of many ways to promote gut health. The more effectively the gut functions, the healthier we feel”, says nutrition expert Alina Leitinger.