Some of you who are trying the low Fodmap diet, may not have had complete success with eliminating your symptoms. If that is the case, there are various things for you to look at and one of them is resistant starch. Today’s video will explain what it is, how it may be affecting your digestive system and what to do about it.
Resistant Starch
Today I want to talk to you about the part that resistant starch could be playing in your symptoms. If your symptoms are continuing even though you feel you have put everything else into place with this diet, then it is time to look at resistant starch.
Resistant starch resists digestion and passes through to the large intestine where it acts like dietary fibre. This is now thought of as the third type of fibre alongside soluble and insoluble fibre.
Let me explain a little about the two starches, amylopectin starch and amylose starch.
Amylopectin starch is easy to digest and absorb. It gelatinizes (absorbs water) easily when heated in water. Gelatinized starch is easier to digest. The digestive enzyme, amylase, can quickly break down amylopectin into glucose, which is absorbed rapidly.
On the other hand, amylose starch is more difficult to digest and absorb. It is more difficult for it to gelatinize making digestion by amylase enzyme difficult. In general, foods that contain more amylopectin (higher glycemic index), such as jasmine rice, short grain sticky rice (also known as glutinous or sushi rice) as well as some varieties of potatoes, such red waxy ones, are much easier to digest and absorb than foods containing more amylose (lower glycemic index), such as basmati rice, most long grain rice (except for jasmine), pasta, most wheat, corn, oat and barley products, most potatoes and bananas. The wheat and barley don’t concern us anyway because they are high Fodmap, but the others may concern us. As you can see this doesn’t bode well for those of you who should be on a low glycemic index diet.
Resistant starch has been categorized into four types:
- RS1 – Physically inaccessible or indigestible resistant starch, such as that found in seeds or legumes and unprocessed whole grains.
- RS2 – Resistant starch that occurs in its natural granular form, such as uncooked potato, green banana and high amylose corn.
- RS3 – Resistant starch that is formed when starch-containing foods are cooked and cooled, such as legumes, bread, cornflakes, potatoes or pasta salad. This occurs due to retrogradation, which is when dissolved starch becomes less soluble after being heated and dissolved in water and then cooled. I will talk about this again in a moment.
- RS4 – Starches that have been chemically modified to resist digestion. This type of resistant starch can have a wide variety of structures and are not found in nature.
Let’s go back to RS3 resistant starch, the one that occurs when certain starch-containing foods are cooked and cooled and something called retrogradation happens.
Retrogradation is a reaction that takes place in gelatinized starch when the amylose and amylopectin chains realign themselves, causing the liquid to gel.
When native starch is heated and dissolves in water, the crystalline structure of amylose and amylopectin molecules is lost and they hydrate (that is take in water) to form a viscous solution, which is fine for us but if the viscous solution is cooled or left at lower temperature for a long enough period, the amylose and amylopectin molecules retrograde and rearrange themselves again to a more crystalline structure, which they had at the beginning and that’s what makes these foods hard to digest.
So to summarize, if you think resistant starch may be your issue, avoid bananas, corn and corn starch, oats, frozen green peas, cold pasta, cold potato, long grain rice except jasmine, Basmati rice, most potatoes except red waxy ones, seeds and nuts. And avoid cooling and then reheating starches.
What are red “waxy” potatoes? We have red ones in the U.S., but I’ve never seen any that looked waxy.
It is called waxy also because the flesh is more waxy than other potatoes.
I have always preferred red potatoes to white. 🙂 White potatoes seem to be missing a key thing: flavor. Also, I cook potatoes with their skins.
Thank you for this interesting video. I watched it and then I read the blog so I could understand it better. Like the talk on crystals. That’s not something you read about daily.
Cheers!
Shala
Excellent seminar! Thank you. cooling and reheating are a no,no- question: if I boil a red potato must I eat it hot or can I let it cool and eat it in let us say a potato salad? Thank you.
Red potatoes have a lot less resistant starch and so the effect of cooling them won’t be as great.
Thank you for your response.
Hi
How do I know which flour contains the starch that is difficult to digest? I use a my own mix when baking ..
White rice flour
Brown rice flour
Sorghum
Miller flour
Buckwheat flour
Potato starch
Tapioca flour
Best wishes
Pip
From what I understand the issue is the cooling and reheating of the food that can cause issues. So is it best to just avoid corn, most potatoes, oats, most rice, and pasta whether you are reheating them or not? Also, polenta is corn, correct? So that should be avoided as well?
The cooling is part of the problem but it’s best to avoid that list of foods completely if resistant starch is your issue. Polenta is corn, yes.
Many recommendations what to avoid…but my question, “what to eat then”?…everything is bad for IBS-C?
Thanks very much for this info!
So – don’t have yesterdays pasta as a leftover!? Tragedy!
Hmm – how about if the (for eg. mashed potatoes) are cooked, frozen, and then reheated again? Will the process reverse itself or would they still be no good?
No, the potatoes will be resistant starch once cooled. It doesn’t matter what happens after that. But remember resistant starch only has a negative effect on a few people.
I just had a low fodmap salad with a little cold cooked potato for lunch. I couldn’t understand why I had the old familiar gripey discomfort, did some research, found this!
Now I know!
Eliminating IBS symptoms is certainly complex and needs a multi-pronged approach.
Is all resistant starch problematic? My husband seems to have issues with any corn starch but doesn’t think he has issues with the alternatives. Could potato starch be ok but not corn?
It could be that he has a problem with corn and not resistant starches.
I think I am one of the unfortunate individuals who experiences gut issues when I eat resistant starch. I would be very interested to know which of beneficial probiotic strains eats amylose / resistant starch so I can try to swap them in for the nasty ones that are causing me problems, but I can’t seem to find that information online.
I would also be interested in any guidance on low-resistant-starch raw (or cooked) vegetables and fruits. That information is also hard to find, because resistant starch is beneficial for most people, and most articles are in regards to high-resistant-starch foods. Of course I can avoid fruits and vegetables listed as having high levels, but I probably need to avoid foods with moderate levels as well, and it’s hard to find lists of foods with no / very low levels.
If I could find a comprehensive list of low-resistant-starch foods, I could then cross-check it with lists of low-FODMAPS foods. But sadly, I can’t seem to find a decent list that includes a lot of specific vegetables and fruits.
I really appreciate your article and video. I think the first time I read it was the turnaround point for me starting to gain control over my gut symptoms! Thank you so much for that.
I still have a long way to go, because I really need to figure out what I can eat besides fresh-cooked Jasmine rice and meat. I feel stuck!
I understand your frustration but there are no lists because most foods have a degree of resistant starch in them and at the end of the day, a person’s reaction to them is individual. You will have to experiment and see what works for you.
Try the Fast Tract Diet FTD. It takes the FODMAP diet one step further and excludes foods high in resistant starch.
I don’t know enough about that diet to comment on it since it gives no information unless you pay them money, but it would have to be 100% low Fodmap compliant to make any sense.
The FODMAP diet could be seen as a first step towards the Fast Tract diet. The Fast Tract diet includes resistant starch, dietary fiber, and sugar alcohols in a mathematical formulation expressing a particular food’s fermentation potential. The lower the number for a food, the more likely you will not have any digestive symptoms.
There is a lot of free information on the internet about the Fast Tract diet, although you can buy books on the subject for a low price. There is a mobile app for the Fast Tract diet that is not free but is useful when dining in restaurants and getting groceries.
Thank you! I’ll look into the FTD diet. I just bought the FTD app on a whim since I am at the grocery store now and I am hoping I can find at least some kind of snack to tide me over between meals and some kind of vegetables or fruits for better nutrition. My symptoms seem to be largely reduced by eating just chicken, chicken fat, fresh-cooked Jasmine rice, olive oil, and Thai fish sauce, so once I am sure that that is consistently the case I can start adding foods in one-at-a-time to test them. But that could be a long, slow process, as it may take time to clearly discern the effects of each food. Hopefully the app will prove helpful and will fast-track that process, because there is never a good time to eat something that’s going to keep me up all night! I might post again later as I figure things out. Ultimately I hope microbiome research will develop treatments to cure this kind of problem so that I can be an omnivore again, but I guess for now we have to wait. Thanks to both of you for the advice.
The low Fodmap diet includes many safe vegetables and fruits. You should be on a low Fodmap elimination diet and once you are symptom-free, you can start testing the groups and foods.
Thanks. I did try eating carrots, peanuts, oranges, and baby spinach for a while, which are all supposed to be low-FODMAPS, but it seemed like my symptoms came back (perhaps not as bad but still disruptive to my sleep), at which point I started investigating carrots and peanuts and learned they have resistant starch. I also dropped oranges and spinach when it seemed like I still had lingering symptoms, and am now trying spinach and other greens again by themselves. It seems like even when I eat the strictest possible diet, I am still getting some gas which keeps me from sleeping as well as I would like (it would help if I could eat dinner earlier), but still better than before. I am cross-referencing the Fast Tract and FODMAPS food lists and starting there as I add foods back in. I plan to start taking probiotics soon after seeing how I react to the foods I am adding. …..I seem to be very sensitive and probably need to see a doctor to make sure I don’t have another issue, since my symptoms don’t seem to be normal IBS symptoms, though they do seem to be affected by my diet.
How do you react to rice? White glutinous/sushi rice and brown rice have been giving me issues. Carrots may also be an issue but I haven’t properly tested my reaction to them. I’m freaking out a bit as rice products have been the main source of my carbohydrates……
Rice is one of the least allergenic foods so it would be rare for it to be an issue. It is possibly what you are eating with the rice not the rice itself. I have never had a client who has reacted to carrots so again, perhaps look at what else you are eating with them or in the meal before.
Thank you for such a great article; I have been struggling with IBS for decades; I still wish I could drink coffee at Starbucks! I found your website and know about fodmap but am now newly inspired to adhere to the diet again for a few weeks and keep a diary. Third and Windsor Interior Design
Maybe once you have figured out your triggers, you will be able to have the occasional cup of coffee. Good luck.
If you have leftover jasmine rice, what would be the best way to reheat it or it is nir advisable to do and i should just eat it fresh each time? Thank you
There is no good way to reheat it but remember that resistant starch is not an issue for many people. If you do have a problem with it, then cook it fresh every time.
If people are concerned about Thai Jasmine rice’s glycemic index (higher than Basmati – about twice as high) look up ‘Thai Jasmine rice’ and pair it with ‘glycemic’ on a search engine. You will find ideas and research: extra washings, rinsings and soakings will reduce the glycemic index.
I cannot leave my real email address but please print my comment if you see it.
Hi, thank you very much for this article!
At the end, you referred to nuts. Do all nuts contain high amounts of RS? Are there some types of nuts which can be consumed by people who react to FODMAP&RS?
Also, does carrot contain high amount of RS?
Generally, what would be the best sources of fibers for those sensitive to both fodmap and RS?
Thanks again!
T.