Why You Should Add Resistant Fiber to Your Diet

Resistant fiber or resistant starch is the new kid on the block when it comes to healthy sources of dietary fiber.
This special type of fiber cannot be digested by the human body and passes through the small intestine mostly intact. When it reaches the large intestine or colon, it becomes food for the good bacteria making it a "pre-biotic".  

Pre-biotics are foods that feed the many strains of beneficial flora in our gut that comprise over 60% of immune system! Over the past several years there has been a surge of information about the importance of the gut microbiome and its connection to many of today's chronic illnesses like Alzheimers, MS, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, Obesity, Depression, Anxiety, and digestive diseases like IBS, colitis, and Crohn's. 

When the good bacteria feed on the resistant fiber, they produce short chain fatty acids like butyrate which helps to reduce inflammation, boost metabolism, and improve stress resistance. This is just one example of the important role these good bacteria have and why it is so important to take care of our gut microbiome by avoiding foods that harm it and eating foods that nourish it. 

Health Benefits of Resistant Starch:

1. Lowers blood glucose levels and improves insulin sensitivity. Several recent studies have confirmed that resistant starch does not cause any spike in blood sugar since it is not digested in the small intestine and our bodies don't obtain any real calories from it.(1) This makes resistant starch an excellent choice for diabetics and those with insulin resistance since it can stabilize blood sugar for longer periods of time and keeps you feeling fuller longer. 
   
   
2. Helpful for those with adrenal fatigue. I was first introduced to resistant starch by Dr. Alan Christensen a few years ago after reading his book, The Adrenal Reset Diet when I was diagnosed with severe adrenal fatigue and early onset menopause. (2) One of the key pieces for recovering from adrenal fatigue is to stabilize your blood sugar because swings can cause more stress on the adrenals whose "job" it is to keep the glucose levels steady in the body.  Eating a little resistant starch at each meal helps to stabilize your blood glucose levels and ease the stress or "work load" of the adrenals so that they can heal. 
   
   
3. Helps you lose weight. By stabilizing your blood sugar levels, resistant starch helps to turn off the hormones that signal the body to store fat and turn on the hormones that signal the body to burn fat.  Yippee!! Resistant starch can keep you feeling fuller longer so that you stay away from snacking that adds on the pounds. (3)
   
   
4. Assists to decrease inflammation. As mentioned above, resistant starch feeds the good bacteria in the colon and allows them to produce short chain fatty acids like butyrate. Butyrate helps to reduce inflammation in the cells that line the colon, easing "colitis", and thereby reducing the occurrence of intestinal permeability as well which is now thought to be the root cause of many of today's chronic illnesses including colon cancer and autoimmune diseases. (4)

Best Forms of Resistant Starch for Your Diet:

1. Green (unripe) bananas or banana flour- a perfect addition to smoothies. Simply peel some unripe bananas, cut them in halves or thirds and freeze them to add to your breakfast smoothies. When I started to do this, I noticed that it kept me full until lunchtime and I had no desire to snack between meals.  You can also use banana flour which can be found online or in most natural food stores these days. Start with 1 tablespoon and increase to 3-4 tablespoons daily. Check out our Perfect Green Smoothie or our Banana Almond Smoothie in our 10 Day Sugar Detox Diet. 
   
   
2. Boiled & cooled potatoes & potato starch - When you boil the potatoes, they lose their resistant starch but when allowed to cool, they form a resistant starch again as long as you do not heat them past 130 degrees.  I like to boil or bake some potatoes in small pieces, toss them in the fridge, and then eat them for a few days inside my lunch salads to add some healthy fiber or I make a potato salad out of them.  Try our Baby Red Potato & Green Bean Salad.    A 1/2 cup of potatoes at lunchtime or a 3/4 cup potatoes with dinner is a good servings size. You can also use potato starch (not potato flour) inside a smoothie or in a soup to add some resistant starch to your meal. 
   
   
3. White beans & navy beans - specifically great white northern or cannellini beans are the best forms to get. Add 1/2 cup of beans to your lunch salad, wrap, or soup or 3/4 cup to your dinner. Try our Italian Sausage & Shrimp Ciopinno with kale and white beans. A warming meal that will keep you feeling satisfied for hours! Or use white beans instead of pinto or black the next time you make a chili. 
   
   
4. Tubers like: Plantains, cassava root, cassava flour, tiger nuts, and tiger nut flour - These tubers are fabulous forms of resistant fiber and are starting to gain in popularity as they become more available in our health food stores. Check out my recent blog about Tiger Nuts & Tiger Nut Flour and my Zucchini Muffins made with tiger nut flour.  I know you will love them!

If you've never tried resistant fiber before, start slow - maybe 1 tablespoon of flour in a smoothie or soup and work up to 3-4 tablespoons or to your tolerance.  Or 1/2 cup of beans or cooled potatoes with lunch and 3/4 cup with dinner. Your tolerance is the level at which you can eat it and you don't experience bloating, gas, or stomach pain. You may experience this a little at first, but if it persists with even the small amounts of resistant fiber, you could have SIBO, or a more severe dysbiosis problem. If this is the case, I'd recommend working with a qualified functional medicine practitioner to do some testing and reestablish a more balanced gut flora. Check out our Gut Cleanse & Revive Program if you need some additional help in this area. One of our providers will work one on one with you to identify the root causes of your symptoms through functional nutrition labs and help you heal naturally. 

~Billie

References:
1. ​https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16644623
2. http://drchristianson.com/
​3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24499148
​4. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10535469
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