The start of a 6 part series! -Tim
Resistant Starch is it Paleo?
Resistant Starch, does it belong in a Paleo style diet? You are eating paleo, should you make an effort to include resistant starch foods? How much resistant starch (RS) did the average caveman consume?
I think those are all the wrong questions to be asking. What it is best to ask is… Will adding RS to my diet improve digestion, blood sugar control, sleep, energy levels? Will I feel better if I include RS in my diet? Is RS going to feed my gut bacteria and strengthen my immune system?
I mindlessly followed the food pyramid for years and it made me fat and sick plus my joints ached. I found the paleo style diet and lost weight, joint aches went away and overall well being improved exponentially. Is there still room for improvement? Hell yeah. I’d like to trim off about another 20 pounds and my digestion, while still better than it ever was on a standard diet, it needed some improvement.
Along comes RS. I heard Richard going on about it at Free the Animal and gave it a try. After about a week, I quit. The gas was killer and the one thing I loved about my diet was the lack of gas. A few months later, anecdotal evidence starts to pour in. Improvements in digestion, sleep, blood sugar. So I give it another shot.
After a couple of weeks the gas starts to wane. My digestion is amazing, effortless bowel movements that occur like clockwork. Is everything now rainbows and butterflies? No, there is still room for improvement. Still plenty of tweaking to do. But, it is worth it. I feel RS is key to gut health. I was even able to eat something that had some wheat in it and not feel like a truck had hit me the next day. The RS seems to be critical for gut health… and a healthy gut means better food tolerance and less allergies (for me anyway).
So I say quit asking if RS is Paleo and ask if you have room for improvement. I really enjoy the work of Byron Katie
and one of my favorite quotes of hers is “defense is the first act of war.” Basically, that means we will automatically defend our current beliefs without questioning if they are ultimately true or if our current set of beliefs is really serving us.Do you have some room for improvement in your health? Well, then try RS for at least 4 weeks. No need for improvement? The go do something you truly enjoy and leave everyone else to decide on their own. Entertaining shitty thoughts in your head is just as bad as putting shitty food in your stomach — pay attention to how you feel and make an effort to improve.
