Resistant Starch Carbs for Weight Loss & Better Health

When it comes to improving your metabolism and health, don’t eliminate all carbs, but DO incorporate the right kind, like resistant starch carbs.  Don’t know what those are? We can help you understand them better.  Eating for life, and improved vitality, requires education and a plan.  Visiting the supermarket without a diet plan in mind will challenge you since 77 percent of grocery store items contain added sugar and don’t provide you with the nutrition you need for better health. Consider the following diet change that you can make this year to help improve your health and wellness. Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center staff can help you start your year off with a nutritional assessment and dietary guidance for better health and wellness.

Understanding Resistant Starch Carbs

Resistant starch carbs are getting more and more attention because of their ability to control blood sugars, boost immunity, keep you satiated, increase your ability to burn fat, encourage weight loss, and even reduce your cancer risks. You have probably be eating resistant starch carbs all your life, but just didn’t realize it.  These types of carbs are found in foods like bananas, yams, potatoes, beans, barley, rice, corn and grains and are named for their ability to “resist” digestion. Resistant starch carbs are broken into four main categories:

• Starches found in grains, legumes, seeds bound within fibrous cell walls.
• Starches from raw potatoes unripe bananas.
• Starches that begin as digestible but change into resistant by the way they are cooked (ex.: potatoes and rice cooked and then cooled.
• Starches that are chemically made.

Different kinds of digestible and resistant starches reside in the same foods. How food is eaten (and when) also affects how digestible they are.  A green banana becomes less resistant as it yellows. The goal with resistant starch carbs is to combine them with other foods to aid in your satiation and fat-burning capabilities.

The Power of Resistant Starch Carbs

More and more research is showing the amazing power of resistant starch carbs. Research is showing you can eat less, burn more calories, reduce your stress levels, lower your cholesterol and boost your energy stores by incorporating a diet rich in resistant starch carbs. Consumers of resistant starch carbs were shown in studies to lower their post-meal blood sugar and insulin response by up to 38%.  Carbs should be combined with other foods so you don’t cause spikes in your blood sugar. Consider, for example, swapping brown rice for white rice and combining it with beans, corn or other resistant starch food types can balance your sugar more than resorting to a low-carb diet.

How Metabolism and Carbs Are Related

The science behind metabolism and carbs can help you understand why it is important to eat them correctly.  Carbs high in resistant starch have been shown to accelerate your metabolism and your body’s other natural fat burners. Resistant starch travels through your digestive system, and releases fatty acids that boost fat burning, especially in your abdominal area. These fatty acids aid in preserving muscle mass which bolsters your metabolism even more, helping you shed pounds faster.

Carbs and Satiation

Maintaining a healthy weight and getting to your goal weight is aided when you don’t feel hungry all the time.  Carbs keep you satisfied longer than other foods because they fill your stomach up more allowing your body to produce and release satiety hormones to decrease hunger and cravings. Carbs trigger the release of fullness hormones in the intestine and make your cells more sensitive to insulin.

Have a Nutritional Assessment As a Starting Point

Now that you know a little bit more about resistant starch carbs and what they can do for you, let us help you plan a way to incorporate them into your diet for maintaining or obtaining weight loss.  A nutritional assessment is a great starting point to learn what you have and what you need. When patients visit us in Austin to learn more about their nutritional needs, we use numerous testing methods to give them a complete picture about their food-related health. Testing the body with electricity can help us get an accurate picture of the fat deposits of your body, which can reveal surprising details if you are overweight or obese. We also offer complete blood testing to identify deficiencies in crucial nutrients like iron, Vitamin B12, and calcium. If you are honest during the food tracking phase, we can quickly pinpoint culprits in your diet raising your weight and make recommendations to fill in nutrient gaps. The best approach towards healthy eating is to adjust your diet with testing and medical support rather than trying to guess the right balance of carbohydrates and proteins on your own. We can devise a diet that corrects nutrient imbalances, works around your chronic conditions and medications, and helps you reach your fitness goals. You can walk out of our office confident that you can eat better without depriving yourself of the occasional treat.

Free Nutritional Consultation

Texas Spine and Sports Therapy Center provides specialized treatment plans in Austin and can help you understand where your what it will take to improve your diet and health.  Let us help you get to your goals this year and to surpass them! Call (512) 806-0015 today to schedule your free consultation!