Starch Resistant Foods for Dieting

Starches are long chains of sugar molecules, digested by the enzyme amylase which is produced in the saliva and small intestines. The small intestines release the sugar molecules, enabling the body to use them to produce energy. What the body doesn't use for energy, however, is stored in the body as fat. Starch resistant foods bypass the small intestines, digesting once they reach the large intestines, where they break down slowly and can't be stored as fat. The process by which starch resistant foods digest makes them a valuable food source for those trying to lose weight.

Thinner People Consume More Starch Resistant Foods

Brown rice is one of several starch resistant foods.

Researchers at the Colorado Health Sciences Center for Human Nutrition conducted a study where it was discovered that the thinner participants ate the most carbohydrates, and the more overweight participants consumed the least. The major difference between the thin and overweight participants were the types of carbohydrate-rich foods being consumed. The majority of carbohydrates consumed by the thinner participants were starch resistant foods, including brown rice, barley, bananas, cereals, bread, corn flakes and potatoes. The study concluded that starch resistant foods may facilitate weight loss.

Starch Resistant Foods Help The Body Burn Fat

When starch resistant foods reach the large intestines, they are fermented by microflora. This process creates the fatty acid called butyrate, which prevents the body from burning the carbohydrates in resistant starches and using them as energy. The body then needs to burn fat by using recently consumed fat and body fat to produce energy, facilitating weight loss.

Feel Satisfied Longer

Starch resistant foods make the dieter feel satisfied longer. Resistant starches stimulate genes that facilitate the release of the satiety hormones, Peptide tyrosine, or PYY, and Glucagon-related peptide 1, or GLP-1. This sensation reduces cravings, helping to prevent the dieter from eating too often.

Feel Fuller Longer With Starch Resistant Foods

Resistant starches are bulky, which causes them to take up more room and remain longer in the digestive system. This gives the dieter a sense of fullness which lasts longer than foods that begin digestion in the small intestines and take up less room in the large intestines. Feeling fuller longer can prevent the dieter from eating more often than necessary, which can result in the consumption of fewer calories.