Resistant starch is a nutrient many of us eat every day without even knowing it although maybe its time to start paying attention.

Thats because resistant starch or RS recently gained superfood status for its ability to improve gut health and prevent colon cancer.

Recent studies have even named resistant starch a promise for improving human health (1 ).

RS is considered a prebiotic, which is a nutrient that feeds your healthy gut bacteria. Its found in starchy plant foods such as brown rice, potatoes, beans, legumes, bananas and sweet potatoes.

Its called resistant starch because its impossible for the human body to digest and breakdown and this is the exact quality that makes RS so beneficial for digestive health.

When you eat resistant starch, it passes through your gastrointestinal (GI) tract and remains undigested.

As RS enters the colon, the friendly bacteria that live there begin to digest, or ferment, it. This is why resistant starch is considered a prebiotic: it nourishes the friendly bacteria that help keep your gut free from health destroying toxins and bad bacteria, such as yeast.

Good Bacteria, Happy Body

When you have a healthy amount of good bacteria in your colon, youre not only less prone to painful digestive symptoms, but you also reduce your risk for chronic illness and disease, such as cancer (2 ).

This is because approximately 70 percent of your immune system is found in your gut (3 ).

RS is often called slimming resistant starch because it may promote sustainable weight loss.

Since RS isnt digested by the body, it doesnt cause a fluctuation in blood sugar levels. In fact, RS has actually been shown to rebalance blood sugar levels by improving insulin sensitivity, which is a major factor in preventing the body from storing fat (4 ).

As you can see, rice, potatoes and all the other plant based starches that were once thought to cause weight gain contain the nutrient we may need most. If youre wondering how you can start adding more resistant starch in your diet to begin improving your gut health, heres how.

How to Add Resistant Starch to Your Diet

There are three primary varieties of resistant starch you can include in your diet type 1, type 2, and type 3.

• RS Type 1
  
  The best source of type 1 resistant starch is cooked grains like brown or wild rice and seeds like quinoa and legumes.
  
  RS type 1 has a thick cell wall that makes it impossible for the human body to break down, even when cooked.