Resistant Starch and Butyrate - need a healthy microbiome

My version of Kraft Minute Tapioca Pudding - recipe on the box - made into a pie filling: 1 egg, 2 3/4 cup milk (whole or 2% recommended, I used 2%), 1/3 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca, 1 teaspoon vanilla - in addition to those listed ingredients I added an extra teaspoon of vanilla, 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom and and extra three tablespoons of tapioca starch. See image at the end of this section. 

Corn starch is the most commonly used thickener in Western cooking, with tapioca starch as runner up. A new type of corn starch that is higher in resistant starch is now available: "King Arthur Flour offers a Hi-Maize Natural Fiber that can be substituted for up to ¼ to 1/3 the flour used in your baked goods." - David H. Rahm, M.D. (vitamedica.com) The starch is made from a specially bred corn species that is higher in amylose content which has more resistant starch than the other type of starch commonly found in corn. 

When I started experimenting with other types of thickeners besides corn starch, I found arrowroot starch or tapioca made a very nice fruit sauce or pie. Resistant starch has a more gelatinous texture than a typical corn starch thickened food and the food is more translucent in appearance rather than opaque - more like a clear jelly rather than a creamy sauce.

As you become more practiced with starch for thickening your own soups, gravies, puddings and pie filling, you will learn ratios - one tablespoon starch per cup of liquid makes a thin sauce if served hot, or be jelly-like once chilled; two tablespoons makes a thicker pudding once chilled; three tablespoons might make a custard like pie filling that can be cut in slices once it is chilled - roughly. Different starches may behave slightly differently but all are somewhat similar in the basic ratios.

Then the fun begins! Thicken whatever combinations of foods and flavors you can imagine!

If you end up with rubber bouncy ball texture after chilling your experiment - you can just reheat and add more water. If your fruit sauce ended up too thin still after chilling, you can just reheat it and add more starch slurry to thicken it more. The starch starts to thicken your liquid mixture while you are heating it, and continues to thicken even more during the chilling stage.

• More Information about thickening foods with starches: Thickeners - A guide to the starches that make pie fillings, sauces, and gravies gel. By Nicole Rees Fine Cooking Issue 81. (finecooking.com)
   

My biggest quality control tip for using starch to thicken fruit sauce or gravy - always remember to mix your starch in a little cold liquid before adding it to your boiling pot of fruit or gravy - otherwise you will have lumps. The starch liquid mixture is called a cornstarch slurry - when using cornstarch. White flour gravies may be made with a butter roux - the flour is first mixed in a saute pan with butter to make a mixture that will not clump when added to a hot liquid.

Starches will clump in the boiling liquid so quickly that it forms almost instantly cooked lumps - tiny mini dumplings - and then the lumps can not be dissolved by stirring. You would have to strain the gravy to remove the lumps and try again to thicken it with a 'cornstarch slurry' - the recipe's starch mixed in a few ounces of water. 

Pectin powder is mixed with a little sugar to help prevent it from clumping as you add it to a boiling batch of jelly.

Minute tapioca is mixed in the cold liquid for a few minutes before heating it. Clumping is only a problem if the starch is to be added to a boiling liquid.

As you become more practiced with starch for thickening your own soups, gravies, puddings and pie filling, you will learn ratios - one tablespoon starch per cup of liquid makes a thin sauce if served hot, or be jelly-like once chilled; two tablespoons makes a thicker pudding once chilled; three tablespoons might make a custard like pie filling that can be cut in slices once it is chilled - roughly. Different starches may behave slightly differently but all are somewhat similar in the basic ratios.   

Then the fun begins! Thicken whatever combinations of foods and flavors you can imagine!  

If you end up with rubber bouncy ball texture after chilling your experiment - you can just reheat and add more water. If your fruit sauce ended up too thin still after chilling, you can just reheat it and add more starch slurry to thicken it more. The starch starts to thicken your liquid mixture while you are heating it, and continues to thicken even more during the chilling stage. 

• More Information about thickening foods with starches: Thickeners - A guide to the starches that make pie fillings, sauces, and gravies gel. By Nicole Rees Fine Cooking Issue 81. (finecooking.com) 

Attempt two with Minute Tapioca TM - a vegan version. 

• 1 can regular unsweetened coconut milk (13.5 oz  ~ 1 2/3 cups)- stir until smooth, in a sauce pan, set aside.
• Dissolve 3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca, 3 tablespoons Arrowroot starch, and 1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder in 1/3 cup water in a seperate bowl. Once dissolved add another 1 cup water, 1/3 cup coconut sugar (is caramelized in color and flavor slightly) 1/4 cup brown sugar and a few tablespoons of stevia (I was out of brown sugar). Let set for 5 minutes for the tapioca to hydrate.
• Combine the dissolved starch slurry with the coconut milk in the saucepan. Bring to a full boil (bubbles continue while stirring) over medium high heat. Stir frequently or continually. To set correctly the starch needs to boil about one minute then remove from heat. 
• Add 1 1/2 teaspoons banana extract, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract, stir (volatile alcohol based extracts will dissipate during the heating process - add at the end.) 
• Stir occasionally while it is cooling for an even texture and to help it cool faster. The pudding could be done at this point but I had one more ingredient to add once semi chilled.
• Put the saucepan in the refrigerator to chill slighlty but not fully gelled. then add 3/4 cup aloe vera gel and stir until smooth. Pour into a container to store in the refrigerator. It will be a soft set pudding with the aloe vera gel addition or a firm set without it. It takes about 4-6 hours to fully gel - and transform into the textrue of resistant starch instead of a hot gravy or sauce.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

It is healthy to have a healthy microbiome - they do a lot for us, or can when healthy species are most common. And they can make butyrate for us out of some of the starchy foods that we eat - depending on how it is prepared, there can be an increase in the amount of resistant starch and less digestible starches that reach the blood as sugar. Increasing resistant starch in a carbohydrate food can make it less of a risk for people with diabetes. 

So we need to feed our microbiome, and in order to have more beneficial species, we need to feed them well. If we eat ultra-processed foods in poor nutrient balance then the beneficial species cannot thrive and less beneficial or harmful ones takeover as the more common types.  

Our beneficial ones need adequate zinc to be in our diet, (Zinc), - and so do we. Trace minerals may be lacking in the average diet because glyphosate based herbicides chelate minerals in the soil and the nutrient content of the crops is reduced. The graphic in the image (Workinger et al. 2018) (15),, shows the dramatic drop in the calcium, iron and magnesium content of US crops since 1914 - 625% more than we are getting now in standard commercial foods. 

Between 1942 and 1992 fossil fuel based chemicals were used in greater amounts for fertilizers and pesticide and herbicide use increased as well. Glyphosate use increased significantly in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Glyphosate is a longer story:  Glyphosate and COVID-19. (28)

Trace mineral deficiencies or excesses can affect levels of other minerals because they share transport proteins. Electrically active minerals can not be present in excess or they will cause us damage. The protein transport is like a cruising tai cab waiting for the passenger to signal a need to stop and unload.

Fiber is our microbiome's main food, called prebiotics - supporting 'biotic' - bacterial life. Probiotics are considered the bacteria rich fermented food or fortified food or supplement. 

Because we can't digest fiber it is still left on the dinner table for our microbiome, so to speak. 

On average U.S. citizens may be getting too little fiber in their diets, possibly ten to twenty-three grams too little per day: "Recommendations for dietary fiber consumption vary by organization, but the adequate intake as recommended by the Institute of Medicine is 25 g/d for females and 38 g/d for males, yet the average intake in US adults is 15–16 g/d. 24 " (9) 

People with Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO) or some other condition affected by an increased microbiome load (IBS) may need to avoid having too much fiber, or certain types of fiber, in their diet to decrease promoting their growth.  

Good sources of fiber, soluble or insoluble, include: 

• Berries, guava, apples, pears, pre-ripened peaches and nectarines, cherries, bananas;
• tuber and root vegetables: carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, yam, canna root, taro, cassava, turnips; 
• horseradish, turmeric and ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, cumin, coriander, other herbs and spices; 
• onions, garlic, asparagus, artichoke, mushrooms, leeks, dark green veggies, 
• peas, green beans, other beans; 
• nuts, fennel, fenugreek and other seeds; 
• corn and other whole grains; 
• aloe vera, slippery elm powder, Gumbo file, agar, arrowroot and marshmallow root, tapioca starch;
• and other unrefined fruits and vegetables. 

Fiber is found in all plant foods. 

Soluble fiber holds water well, giving a sponge like effect in our digestive system - and thickening gravies in our kitchens! Soluble fiber rich foods or ingredients tend to make a creamy broth or porridge - oatmeal, slippery elm powder, tapioca starch and other starches used for thickening or gelling foods. Soluble fiber can help relieve or prevent constipation problems depending on the reason for the bowel difficulty. It is also helpful for resolving diarrhea along with some of the bulkier insoluble fiber found in the bran of whole grains. Some of each type is most helpful for regular bowel movements, along with plenty of water or watery foods and non-diuretic beverages, and regular exercise or stretching in a chair or bed if somewhat limited in mobility.

Recipes, just browsing through cook books, can help give an overview of what a different way of eating might be like as well as giving you ideas to try for yourself. The example recipes on the ruled.me website, 600+ Easy Keto Recipes: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, & More, (3), are rich in healthy produce that would help support our microbiome with fiber and other trace nutrients like zinc. Other resistant starch recipes are available at yurielkaim.com. (7) 

     The keto recipe collection includes a fresh pickle recipe (4) that could be a probiotic if allowed to ferment and pickle longer instead of using it promptly. Switching the erythitol out and using more stevia as a low carbohydrate sweetener might be more beneficial for our microbiome than the erythritol which is indigestible to them and us. It may cause digestive upset if eaten in large amounts. (5)      

     A vinegar free fermented pickle recipe using a traditional salt brine is available with more information about the fermentation steps at the site feastingathome.com. (6) *Fermented foods may make a MCAS/Histamine problem worse and a probiotic supplement might be a safer idea for those with histamine excess or mast cell overactivity.

We can help our microbiome make butyrate for us by eating more resistant starches in our meals and snacks. this may require learning more about which foods are better sources and buying and cooking them more often, or ordering your favorites at restaurants and snack locations, such as a Bubble Tea.

     Resistant Starches help support beneficial species in our gastro-intestinal tract. Many types of starchy foods will become more difficult for us to digest after being cooked and then chilled, and then the microbiome species can gain energy in the conversion to butyrate. 

     During the chilling of the cooked starches, some of the starch content changes form and may seem more pudding like or gelatinous in texture compared to when it was first eaten freshly cooked and warm from the oven or stove. The resistant starch then is available for the bacterial species to eat - because we didn't digest the carbohydrate further - saving us the carbohydrate calories and potentially providing us with the fatty acid, butyrate, instead. 

The basic point to remember for increasing resistant starches in your diet is to have more of your carbohydrate foods served prechilled - potato salad instead of a hot baked potato fresh from the oven. Quick breads stored in the refrigerator after baking.

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes. 

Cassava root is a starchy potato like root that is made into refined tapioca flour/starch. Tapioca starch is also sold as preformed beads that may be called tapioca pearls. Western eaters may be most familiar with tapioca pudding made with the white tapioca pearls. It is an egg and milk pudding flavored with vanilla. The Asian style, Boba tea, Bubble drink bubbles may be made with a black form of tapioca starch which makes the bubbles more visible in the sweetened tea beverage. 

Tapioca pearls or minute tapioca flakes are white and generally are used in the creamy white custard style pudding or may be used to thicken fruit pies. If you are a traditionalist and want the familiar bubbly tapioca pudding texture, use the regular full size tapioca pearls that take longer to cook. The minute flakes are smaller and make a creamy pudding with a little texture rather than the larger beads that give a little to chewiness to the pudding. 

Add an extra tablespoon of tapioca starch per cup of milk, to a box mix of cooked pudding, to make the pudding mix with a more pie like texture. Pour the cooked pudding into a graham cracker crust for a quick dessert that will set up firm enough to hold a slice, once it is chilled. More about thickening foods or making a tapioca custard pie is in the next section.

 Resistant starch helps us help our microbiome be healthier - and a healthier microbiome helps us stay healthier too!

1. Doesn't spike blood sugar or insulin levels.
2. Feeds the microbiome and creates a healthier gut.
3. Increases short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) for optimal colon health.
4. Enhances nutrient absorption and overall digestion.
5. Keeps you full longer, so may help with weight loss (also reduces total calorie content of the starchy food as the bacteria are using some of the calories before the conversion to SCFAs.
6. Binds to toxins.
7. Lowers triglycerides and LDL.

Read more: 7 reasons you should be eating Resistant Starch. (eatnakednow.com)  

Celeriac root is the standout - cassava root may be referred to manioc, yuca, or Brazilian arrowroot.

Arrowroot starch or flour as sold for purchase would not be the same as tapioca starch made from cassava root.  Arrowroot starch is made from an herbal plant called Maranta arundinacea rather than from a root. 

Celeriac root is mildly celery like in flavor and is a the bulbous root of a special type of celery which grows a larger root and smaller stalks than typical celery. The root is sold as a starchy vegetable that can be cooked and served similarly to boiled or mashed potatoes, or eaten raw. It is lower in starch than other root vegetables. (Celeriac) 

Parsnips are a carrot like root that is white, mildly sweet, and cooks a little quicker than carrots. It is nice in a roast vegetable mix or sauteed with leeks.

Taro root is also a large potato like starchy root vegetable used in tropical regions such as Hawaii and the Phillipines. More info:  

• The 11 Taro Root Benefits You Need to Know-Seriously, get taro root in your diet ASAP. (SpoonUniversity.com) 

Oxalates are a negative: Taro root is high in oxalates and therefore needs to be cooked to reduce the oxalate content. Boiling food items that are high in oxalates and discarding the cooking water helps to reduce the crystal like oxalates. Removing the peel generally also reduces oxalate content. Oxalates can cause painful digestion and bladder symptoms in addition to increasing the risk of kidney stones forming.

• For more information or individual counseling with Monique Attinger, BA, MLIS, CHN, regarding oxalate reduction see: (lowoxcoach.com) *Unaffiliated but guidance is helpful and oxalates are not a commonly discussed problem. The crystalline chemical can cause significant digestive and urinary pain as well as lead to long term risks of kidney injury. Diarrhea may be a symptom that eventually leads to chronic constipation as the intestinal health is further disrupted by the buildup of the oxalate crystals (which are literally sharp and literally painful). People switching to a 'healthy' diet with lots of beans, nuts and vegetables (like me ;-) may also get more oxalates then is healthy. Tea is the well-known source of oxalates. Increasing certain supplements (including calcium and vitamin C) can help the body remove the oxalate crystals by modifying the chemical form.

Glucomannan is a dietary fiber made from the konjac root. It has been used in China for over 2000 years. Medicinally it may help constipation, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Glucan and mannan polysacchrides that are also found in yeast (Baker's yeast or Nutritional Yeast flakes) and glucomannan is a combination. 

• "In addition to the action of individual mannans or glucans, glucomannan conjugates have been gaining significant attention lately. Besides their nutritional values, these conjugates have important health benefits such as the reduction of cholesterol and improvement of immune reactions [9,10]." (Korolenko, 2019)

Food processors are working with resistant starch ingredients in baked goods and other foods, however the topic has not been popular enough with the public yet for it to be used as a marketing pitch on product labels. You are unlikely to see boxes labeled - "Now with more resistant starch content!" - but it may have more. Consumers who write to corporations asking about ingredients can impact what those corporations use and how they market their products. 

Whit rice and white potatoes will have more resistant starch after they are cooked and then chilled. The texture changes slightly in the chilled version compared to the freshly preparedOther foods have more Resistant starch - harder for us to digest than other starch of the same chemical bond type. Bacteria in our colon can digest it partially and convert it into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate and propionate. SCFAs are good for the immune function and membrane health of the colon.

Good sources of resistant starch, and more digestable than beans and peas:

 Fruits:

• Green plantains
• Green bananas
• Green mango
• Green papaya
• Persimmon

Root vegetables, grains, and others

• Cassava (tapioca)
• Sweet potatoes or yams
• Rutabaga
• Parsnips
• Yucca
• Celery root (also called celeriac)
• Glucomannan (konjac root)
• Jicama
• Taro root
• Turnips
• Tiger nuts
• Millet
• Sorghum
• White Potatoes, when cooked and left to cool
• Gluten-free oats
• White rice 

Read more, a list of beans are included as foods with resistant starch that may be more difficult to digest for someone with GI difficulties:  7 reasons you should be eating Resistant Starch, by Margaret Floyd Barry, Functional Nutritionist. (eatnakednow.com) 

• *I am unaffiliated, but the site looks like a good counseling service and food preparation guide by a wife and husband team - he is the chef. Digestive problems can effect both mental and long term health. Individual counseling can be very helpful when trying to make significant changes in your diet. Recipe guidance can be critically important for preparing unusual foods so they will be both tasty and safe - edible is always the goal to remember in the kitchen!

Disclaimer: Opinions are my own and the information is provided for educational purposes within the guidelines of fair use. While I am a Registered Dietitian this information is not intended to provide individual health guidance. Please see a health professional for individual health care purposes.