My recent articles and videos examined how eating preload foods that stimulate incretin and insulin secretion can lower postprandial blood sugar.
In this article, I present how we can enjoy the carbs we are used to eating while preventing a glucose spike.
Here are some tips and tricks to maximize the retrogradation process and incorporate resistant starch into your diet:
1. Cool and Reheat Starchy Foods
– Refrigerate After Cooking: After cooking starchy foods like rice, pasta, or potatoes, allow them to cool to room temperature and refrigerate them for at least 12 hours.
This cooling process encourages the formation of resistant starch.
– Reheat Before Eating: You can reheat retrograded foods without losing the resistant starch.
The reheating process increases the resistant starch content even further, providing a lower glycemic impact.
2. Choose the Right Starches
– Opt for High-Starch Foods: Foods like white rice, potatoes, and pasta are excellent candidates for retrogradation because they contain high levels of amylose, a component of starch that easily converts to resistant starch when cooled.
– Use Whole Grains: Whole grains like brown rice, barley, and oats also work well for retrogradation. They are also higher in fiber, which contributes to better blood sugar control.
3. Batch Cooking and Meal Prep
– Prepare in Advance: Cook large batches of rice, pasta, or potatoes, then cool and store them in the refrigerator.
Doing it makes incorporating retrograded foods into your meals throughout the week is easy.
– Portion Control: Divide your retrograded foods into individual portions. This makes it easier to manage your intake and ensures that you always have a healthy option ready to go.
4. Combine with Fiber and Protein
Balance Your Plate: Pair retrograded carbs with high-fiber vegetables, lean proteins, and healthy fats. This combination slows down digestion and helps maintain stable blood sugar levels.
– Add Legumes: Beans, lentils, and chickpeas are high in fiber and protein and contain natural resistant starch. Adding them to your retrograded dishes can enhance their benefits.
5. Try Green Bananas and Plantains
– Natural Resistant Starch: Green (unripe) bananas and plantains are naturally high in resistant starch. You can eat them raw, add them to smoothies, or cook them and allow them to cool for a double dose of resistant starch.
– Make Green Banana Flour: You can make green banana flour by slicing and dehydrating green bananas and grinding them into a powder. Use this flour in baking or as a recipe thickener for an extra-resistant starch boost.
6. Incorporate Retrograded Foods into Different Meals
– Breakfast: Use retrograded oats for overnight or chilled oat bowls. Add some retrograded potatoes to your morning hash or omelet.
Lunch: Use retrograded rice or quinoa in salads or make a cold salad with retrograded pasta.
– Dinner: Serve retrograded potatoes as a side dish or use them in a chilled potato salad. You can also add retrograded rice to stir-fries or casseroles.
7. Experiment with New Recipes
– Get Creative: Try new recipes that involve retrograding carbs. For example, make sushi using retrograded rice or prepare a cold noodle salad with retrograded pasta. The possibilities are endless!
8. The Cooking Methods
– Avoid Overcooking: Overcooking can reduce the starch content available for retrogradation. Cook your starchy foods until tender to preserve their potential for forming resistant starch.
Steam or Boil: These methods work best for preparing foods like potatoes, rice, and pasta for retrogradation.
Baking is also effective, particularly for potatoes.
9. Try Resistant Starch Supplements
– Supplemental Options: If you find getting enough resistant starch from your diet challenging, consider resistant starch supplements like potato starch.
Note that potato starch is different from potato flour. The starch is brown, while the flour is white. In the ingredient list, potato flour will list “whole potatoes,” while potato starch will list “potato extract” or “vegetable starch.
You can add these to smoothies, yogurt, or even water. Start with small amounts to avoid digestive discomfort, and gradually increase the dosage.
10. Monitor Your Response
– Track Your Blood Sugar: If you’re retrograding carbs to manage blood sugar, use a glucose monitor to track how your body responds to different retrograded foods. Everyone’s response can vary, so personalizing your diet is key.
Start a food diary and put your one-hour or two-hour blood sugar to see what works for you.
I like using this glucometer. AUVON Blood Glucose Monitor Kit
By incorporating these tips, you can use the retrogradation process to enjoy your favorite starchy foods while more effectively managing your blood sugar levels.
I presented studies showing that changing carbohydrates into resistant starch through retrogradation helps lower blood sugar in a previous post, “Ways to Lower After-Meal Blood Sugar when Eating White Bread”
Stay current by subscribing. Feel free to share and like.
If you find value in this website, please consider buying me a coffee to show your support.
You can follow me on Gettr, Truth Social, Gab, Parler, Twitter, Facebook, and Telegram.
© 2018 – 2023 Asclepiades Medicine, LLC. All Rights Reserved
DrJesseSantiano.com does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.