I just want to see if anyone agrees. Ive self expirimented with about every food available, cooking in various ways, combos ect and only recently I came upon Ray Peat info and feel it has a lot of validity....here's my perspective
on starches and I believe this is why Ray says what he says, as well as why Americans in general have gluten and/or
starch problems.
Sucrose is not altered until it gets into the small intestine, where it is only one step away from being absorbed.
Starch must be broken down, beginning in the mouth (salivary amalayse), potentially in the stomach some more, then
finished off in the small intestine.
Imagine sugar as each molecule is a person with a bubble of water around them, where as starch is like a line of people close together with only bubbles of water on each end of the long line. When you consume sucrose or sugar, even if you dont chew it well (or at all) and dont mix it with water, it still easily gets digested because digestive enzymes can access each molecule through the water bubble surroundin it. Starch, if not entirely masticated, cannot be digested fully because the water and digestive enzymes can only break down one person on the end of the line at a time, where as with sugar they can access each person at once. Furthermore, starch is less soluble in water so if the GI tract is not well hydrated and/or the food was too dry when swallowed, it can become gummy as it goes through the system where as sugar will not. So basically...to fully digest starches well, you have to take small bites, the starch has to be fully cooked and eaten warm before it recrystallizes (becomes resistant starch), and you must actually fully chew and emulsify with saliva each bite before you swallow. Almost no one does this, not even close...hence I would say on average half the starches people eat dont get digested, end up in the colon as functional fiber, cause gas and microbe overgrowth...hence 'gluten' intolerance, ect ect. Gluten grains are way chewier than other grains so obviously chewing them fully takes more time and attention than other grains and therefore probably why they get a worse name, but corn and rice could potentially do the same thing. The way potatoes are generally prepared and how they have the water natrually intact makes them generally way easier to take in and chew fast. The skins on whole grains/legumes/ ect are astringent in the mouth and soak up water so it takes a lot longer to chew these fully and most people dont which is why masa harina and white rice are preferred...much more likely to actually be digested. So ultimately, no starch is 'bad', just more or less difficult to consume without leaving any residues...and compared to fruit/fruit juice or sweetened coffee/tea they are just a pain to prepare, eat, ect and arent actually necessary. I believe they are like a backup food, but if you chew them fully and let the saliva mix before you swallow, they wont present problems...besides taking time to cook and chew. Using ground flour, or mashing the potatoes (basically prechewing somehow), makes eating starches way easier and more efficient, but you still should fully mix saliva when it comes to starches.
Please comment!
on starches and I believe this is why Ray says what he says, as well as why Americans in general have gluten and/or
starch problems.
Sucrose is not altered until it gets into the small intestine, where it is only one step away from being absorbed.
Starch must be broken down, beginning in the mouth (salivary amalayse), potentially in the stomach some more, then
finished off in the small intestine.
Imagine sugar as each molecule is a person with a bubble of water around them, where as starch is like a line of people close together with only bubbles of water on each end of the long line. When you consume sucrose or sugar, even if you dont chew it well (or at all) and dont mix it with water, it still easily gets digested because digestive enzymes can access each molecule through the water bubble surroundin it. Starch, if not entirely masticated, cannot be digested fully because the water and digestive enzymes can only break down one person on the end of the line at a time, where as with sugar they can access each person at once. Furthermore, starch is less soluble in water so if the GI tract is not well hydrated and/or the food was too dry when swallowed, it can become gummy as it goes through the system where as sugar will not. So basically...to fully digest starches well, you have to take small bites, the starch has to be fully cooked and eaten warm before it recrystallizes (becomes resistant starch), and you must actually fully chew and emulsify with saliva each bite before you swallow. Almost no one does this, not even close...hence I would say on average half the starches people eat dont get digested, end up in the colon as functional fiber, cause gas and microbe overgrowth...hence 'gluten' intolerance, ect ect. Gluten grains are way chewier than other grains so obviously chewing them fully takes more time and attention than other grains and therefore probably why they get a worse name, but corn and rice could potentially do the same thing. The way potatoes are generally prepared and how they have the water natrually intact makes them generally way easier to take in and chew fast. The skins on whole grains/legumes/ ect are astringent in the mouth and soak up water so it takes a lot longer to chew these fully and most people dont which is why masa harina and white rice are preferred...much more likely to actually be digested. So ultimately, no starch is 'bad', just more or less difficult to consume without leaving any residues...and compared to fruit/fruit juice or sweetened coffee/tea they are just a pain to prepare, eat, ect and arent actually necessary. I believe they are like a backup food, but if you chew them fully and let the saliva mix before you swallow, they wont present problems...besides taking time to cook and chew. Using ground flour, or mashing the potatoes (basically prechewing somehow), makes eating starches way easier and more efficient, but you still should fully mix saliva when it comes to starches.
Please comment!