It’s difficult to get excited about anything with a name like “resistant starch”. However, an article published in The Daily Mail suggests that, for people with diabetes, it’s time to start doing just that.
The article is about pasta, that most debateable of foodstuffs. Some people argue that the crime of consuming pasta should carry a very medieval sort of punishment, because its starch content is broken down into sugar at a high rate, and this can cause a spike in blood sugar levels. Other people, reclining in hammocks and sipping cocktails, counter that the risks are over-exaggerated, and that everyone needs to calm down.
The Daily Mail article reports that, when pasta turns cold, the starch becomes more resistant. When the starch becomes more resistant, it doesn’t have the same dramatic effect on blood sugar levels. Resistant starch is also found in bananas (while still green) and raw oats. The article argues that if you cooked these foods, then neglected to eat them while they were nice and hot and had the potential to make you happy, they would be even richer in resistant starch.
And, although the results are undoubtedly intriguing, you’re probably sick of hearing conflicting pieces of advice when it comes to the consumption of pasta.
But then it was conducted in Positano, an Italian restaurant in Guildford. As cynical as it might sound, it’s in the restaurant’s interest to convince you that their cold leftovers are the dish for you. Cooking food is a famously inconvenient part of the restaurateur business, and this study is one way of avoiding such pressures. I conducted my own study, in my kitchen, and found that mouldy old bits of bread crust that fell on the floor and were rejected by the dog have previously undiscovered health benefits. I think it might be time to open a restaurant.
