Add resistant starch from cooked-cooled potatoes and rice

What to Do

Cook potatoes or rice, then refrigerate them for at least 12 hours before eating. Use them in potato salads, cold rice bowls, or reheat them — the resistant starch structure persists after reheating.

Why It Works

Cooling converts regular starch into RS3 (retrograded resistant starch), which resists digestion and reaches the colon where bacteria ferment it into butyrate. Clinical studies show approximately 5g/day of resistant starch improves GI symptoms. It also improves blood sugar responses compared to freshly cooked starch.

Tips

• Green (unripe) bananas are another excellent source (RS2 type)
• Legumes naturally contain resistant starch without requiring the cooking-cooling cycle
• Overnight oats provide resistant starch from the cooling process plus beta-glucan
• This is a free, zero-risk intervention — just change how you prepare foods you already eat