Sometimes magic happens in the kitchen. Take a humble potato. Most people know that potatoes are starchy vegetables. Starch, is actually a type of carbohydrate that easily turns into glucose (i.e. a simple sugar) in the gut. Frequent overloading the body with glucose creates blood sugar fluctuations which favour weight gain and diabetes. That is why those trying to control weight and/or manage diabetic aberrations often shy away from potatoes.
What if I tell you, that there is a simple trick that can turn this starchy vegetable into a form that does not convert into sugar and conveys some health benefits? All you have to do is cook your spuds (or pasta, rice and beans, for this matter) and refrigerate them for approximately 24 hours before eating.
Slow cooling causes a change in the molecular structure of these foods, transforming regular starch into retrograded resistant starch (RRS). “Retrograded” refers to realignment of molecules during cooling and “resistant” means that it becomes indigestible for humans.
Being indigestible RRS cannot be broken down into simple sugars in the gut. Therefore, it doesn’t cause this detrimental blood sugar roller coaster.
The good news does not stop there! Retrograded resistant starch is metabolized by the bacteria living in the large intestine to produce beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids. One of them, butyrate, is the main food source for the colonic cells and helps keeping mucosal lining in the colon healthy. There is also some preliminary evidence that short-chain fatty acids may help with weight loss, cholesterol management and blood sugar control.
So, as it often happens, when explained, magic becomes simple chemistry. However, magic or not, this trick can help you enjoy an occasional cold potato, pasta or rice salad guilt-free.