Reheated potatoes for lunch

Hi Jeff,

Is there any truth to the claims that reheating potatoes or pasta changes the chemical structure of the carbs into a better (more slow burning) form?

If so, perhaps even reheated pasta would make an acceptable form of lunch starch?

Thanks,
Sven

 

Sven,

Good question and I like that your reading and thinking but my thought on this is we need to view this from macro to micro. 

Macro: Define "good". Is it slow digesting? But Waxy Maize is "fast" digesting and thats its selling point as a post workout. So where is the context? Is slow good at meals and fast good post workout? 

What you were reading about is called resistant starch and its like any other sensationalized nutrient the media gets ahold of. My theory on this is when alleged professionals in this industry find something new to them they believe it is in fact new. resistant starch is as old as potatoes. The gist of its benefits is they slow digestion by turning some of the sugars into fibers(lack of a better term) which makes them slower to digest and when these fiber(s) reach the large intestine they are fermented by the "good bacteria" in our gut.

The reason people want to increase the amount of resistant starch is because they believe if they lower their insulin levels they will not be so fat, its not that easy though. So what you are really asking me is how do I lower my insulin levels and my answer is: Why do you want to lower them? Why not strive to make them optimal? If you do in fact have high insulin levels and you want to lower them Step 1 is to drink 1 liter of water per day. The more hydrated the cell the lower the density of insulin. Step 2 is to include a heathy fat. Fat does not raise insulin and in the morning is when insulin is the lowest so take advantage and eat something that doesn't raise insulin. Do you know what step 3 is?.....

Micro: If you were so inclined to decrease the insulin response to a carb you could buy sushi rice, cook it, cool it while mixing in rice wine vinegar. The cooling will raise resistant starch the rice wine vinegar will blunt the insulin response that is left. 

Dont get sucked into the nutrition world hamster wheel of all the things people think are so great when in fact it is just something the media or popular blogger got ahold of. Stay low, come up to shoot and get back down. Keep it simple, keep it basic and be a master of those basics. 

Keep up the good work your on level 10 already. 

Jeff, while I hate to bring threads from the dead I am finally at this level. I wanted to ask you about Rice Vinegar as you have mentioned it a few times. The Rice Vinegar I find is sweetened, is that what you use or do I need to start searching it out?

Thanks.

The reason the threads are here is to benefit everyone, even if you are a step or 2 behind. 

Amazon! Finding them unsweetened is fairly easy. 

Need to stop going to the big box stores. I'll look harder - there are some Japanese groceries around town or order online!

Thanks.