Colon cancer is a serious health concern, but incorporating resistant starch into your diet can lower your risk. This special starch is found in various foods like peas, beans, legumes, green bananas, and cooked and cooled starchy products such as sushi rice and pasta salad. To get the benefits, you have to consume these foods at room temperature or cooler. Heating them causes the resistant starch to disappear, but consuming them correctly can help to kill pre-cancerous cells in the bowel.
Resistant Starch and Your Digestive System
Your digestive tract cannot break down resistant starch, but the probiotic bacteria living in your gut thrive on it. Once the starch reaches your colon, it stimulates the production of beneficial short-chain fatty acids. According to research, this process results in reduced harmful inflammation in the bowel and an increase in the death of pre-cancerous cells.
Additionally, resistant starch may have implications for the prevention of breast cancer. Studies on lab animals have shown that those fed a high-resistant starch diet do not gain weight back as fast as those fed a regular, digestible starch diet. This effect on obesity may help reduce breast cancer risk as well as improve the treatment of colorectal cancer.
Boosting Your Resistant Starch Intake
To incorporate more resistant starch into your diet, start by adding some of these resistant starch-rich foods:
- Legumes: Beans, lentils, and peas are all excellent sources of resistant starch. Not only do they provide colon cancer protection, but they also offer numerous other health benefits, such as improving heart health and blood sugar levels. Try different varieties and rotate them in your meals.
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Green Bananas: While ripe bananas contain some resistant starch, unripe green bananas have a particularly high amount. You can blend them into smoothies to add thickness without any added sugars.
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Cooked and Cooled Starchy Foods: Cooling cooked starchy foods, like sushi rice, pasta, and potatoes, increases their resistant starch content. Incorporate these into your meals regularly but remember to avoid reheating them.
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Whole Grains: Barley, oats, and whole wheat are great sources of resistant starch. Swapping out refined grains with whole grains such as these can contribute to a healthier diet and increased resistant starch intake.
Tips for Meal Planning with Resistant Starch
Meal planning with resistant starch in mind isn’t difficult. Here are some tips for incorporating it into your daily routine:
- Make some delicious cold pasta salads or rice dishes with cooled grains. Add some protein like tofu, chicken, or tuna for a complete meal.
- Use green bananas or legumes as the base for smoothies. They’ll add thickness to your drink and increase your daily resistant starch intake.
- Opt for whole-grain, higher-fiber bread and pasta.
- Include legumes as part of your main dish or as a side to increase resistant starch intake.
Closing Thoughts
Resistant starch is a powerful defense against colon cancer and other health conditions, including obesity and potentially breast cancer. Incorporating foods rich in resistant starch into your daily diet can lead to a healthier life overall. Be sure to prioritize whole, minimally processed plant foods and avoid overheated starchy foods to reap the full benefits.
