5 Reasons Why Starch Is an Essential Need For Your Body Nowadays

Reasons why you should not drop Starchy Foods from your Diet 

Do you like your starchy foods? Do you hear discouraging reports about them? Are you thinking of dropping them from your diets? 

Friends, please enjoy your Bread, Rice, Cereal, Oats, and all others because most of these negative stories about starchy foods are false, and overshadows their amazing nutritional benefits. 

Our body is replete with complex processes due to the actions of the different organs, tissues, and cells working together to aid the body’s metabolisms, so they need all the ‘action’ that carbohydrates bring to the body. 

What are Starchy Foods? 

Starchy foods are foods that contain sugar compounds (saccharides) in their more complex forms (poly-saccharides) plus other nutrients and fibers. They are mostly carbohydrates, and these foods release glucose in the body. Examples of foods like this are bread, potatoes, pasta, corn, cereals, rice, rye, wheat, and similar foods. 

The more common (and most nutritious) types of starchy foods are resistant starch; they are found in foods like beans, corn, and are extremely rich in fiber materials. Resistant starch inhibits digestion in your stomach, which gives it one of its best attributes in the body system. 

How important is starch to your body system

 Numerous researches are showing clearly how beneficial starchy foods are to your body and how they combine well with other food classes. So, before you cut down on those ‘morning toast’ or the ‘delicious potatoes’ here are few health benefits you should consider; 

✔ Starch expels fat 

Eating foods that are rich in starch will help you to reduce your body fat significantly; most of the Butyrate compounds that the starch produce remains in the colon and strengthens the gut functions. It will inhibit the liver from releasing the reserve glucose into the

bloodstream (for energy); your digestive system will have no option but to break down/act on fats in the body for the energy it needs. 

✔ It helps in body balance and regulation 

Your body has to operate at moderate ‘parameters’ like; blood glucose level, iodine level, hydration, and so on. Eating foods that contain resistant starch in them can help your body to regulate your blood glucose levels without jeopardizing the energy requirements of your body. 

✔ Starch is ‘fuel’ to your body 

Starchy foods are the gas of your body system; when starchy foods get into your body system, different enzymes proceed to break them into the substance that the body can use and store; glucose. 

Glucose is the substance that keeps the body going both in the external and the internal activities (you are reading this article because you have glucose.) Starchy foods are the greatest source of glucose for the body. 

✔ It keeps your heart healthy. 

“A healthy heart is a healthy body” When processes in the body are not sudden or spasmodic, it is of great help to your heart. A sudden increase in glucose levels or the other way round is dangerous for your heart. Your heart is at its best in a balanced system. 

Foods classified as resistant starch can help you to lower cholesterol levels (very bad), prevent clogging muscles, and constricting arteries that affect the flow of nutrients and blood to the heart. 

✔ Eat well, and eat full 

Studies show that starchy foods are one of the most ‘belly-filling’ foods you’ll eat. Studies show that foods that are rich in carbohydrates have certain hormones that can help you to quench your hunger fully as you feast on them. The hack to this is to ensure that you keep your meals as balanced as possible. 

✔ Good for your bowels

When resistant starch enters into the small intestine, the body cannot completely break down; it remains in the bowels where some bacteria work on it; the resulting compound is Butyrate. Interestingly, these Butyrate compounds are foods for some ‘good’ bacteria present in the guts/stomach, and a good colony of gut bacteria is good for a healthy immune system. It is one of the pre-biotic activities of starchy foods 

✔ Improves ‘efficiency’ of food breakdown and absorption 

Our stomach contains very strong acids (one that could melt a nail); these acids help to digest the proteins, vegetables, and all that we eat. The fermentation of starch remnants in the venter produces some smaller-chain fatty acids, which supplements the acids in our stomach. 

If you are looking for the best starchy foods you can eat, here are some examples you should try; 

● Beans and Legumes 

Foods like black beans, lentils, kidney beans, split peas, fava beans are one of the healthiest starchy foods that you can get out there. These foods have high fiber materials present in them (the body does not easily digest fiber), and fiber compounds are the fuel of the colon and help to keep the digestive tract flowing. 

Also, the protein-fiber combination helps your body to lower the risk of colorectal diseases and helps to regulate cholesterol levels. 

Legumes are a good source of plant nutrient, and have a decent number of anti-oxidants which protects your cells from ‘radical behaviors.’ 

● Chickpeas 

Chickpeas are very versatile in nutrition; in addition to having starch in them, they also contain vitamins and minerals like Iron, Foliate, Phosphate, and more. 

● Whole Grains 

They boast a high amount of vitamins like magnesium, riboflavin, and niacin. Most of these foods are also compatible with diets for diabetic people, vegans, and people with gluten

sensitivity. These starchy foods are good sources of fiber and other nutrients, and examples include; 

● Buckwheat, 

● Whole wheat flour, 

● Oatmeal, 

● Quinoa, 

● Brown rice, and others. 

● “Too good” Grain Bread 

What is a beautiful morning without a good morning toast? You should add these incredible starches to your diet, plus they don’t have a single ill effect on your weight. 

These grains are naturally in their ‘broken-down’ form, so it is easier for the body to absorb the nutrients from this food. These foods are also low in sodium, which makes them beneficial to the liver. 

Conclusions 

Billions of people around the world consume starchy foods every day, and it is even typical to some cultures and regions. Interestingly, health conditions like obesity, heart disease, metabolic problems are almost non-existent in these areas, coincidence? I doubt. 

Although you should consume reasonable amounts of starchy foods, you must eat a balanced diet, and you eat moderately. Over-working your digestive systems would be dangerous to your health. 

So, do not throw those starchy foods into the bin, but eat healthier.