Potato starch for the body. The benefits and harms of potato starch: valuable “flour” from tubers. Starch is an energy supplier

Just a few decades ago, starch was widely popular among housewives as a food product and as a substance useful in the household. After some time, the world learned the “terrible” truth: using it makes people gain weight and lose their health! It should be clear what starch actually gives a person. Benefit and harm are opposite concepts, like day and night. What is truth and what is fiction?

To dot the i’s, you need to “decompose” starch into its component parts and understand how each of them acts on the human body, what it is needed for and what it causes damage to.

benefit and harm

One of the basic foods of humans are carbohydrates. Mono- and disaccharides are those that have nothing in common with potato starch. Polysaccharides are also carbohydrates, only complex ones, which include starch.

The benefits and harms of this substance are still disputed by various scientists. This is where myths about fat deposits appeared in the media, which arise due to an insatiable addiction to jelly and fried potatoes.

There is a certain amount of common sense in this. You will not be able to find an obese person who does not like and consume the mentioned dishes. But this is not the complete truth. The truth is that polysaccharides are an integral component of the health of the body. Moreover, the benefits of starch are to promote weight loss!

Recipe for success

Those adherents of a healthy lifestyle who have successfully switched from eating potatoes and potato pancakes to eating rice porridge and pasta, they didn’t become slender like the Chinese or Italians. In fact, they changed the “awl for soap.” Nothing has changed fundamentally in their diet. And all because these new “healthy” products also contain polysaccharides.

The whole secret is in the method of preparing everyone’s favorite potatoes, once brought to Russia by Peter the Great. Compare for yourself:

• A raw potato tuber consists of three quarters of water, the remaining quarter consists of all the starch in it and even less.
• The puree contains 11% starch.
• 14% of this substance is in boiled potatoes.
• Contains 35% polysaccharides
• Chips - 53%!

Moderation is good in everything. Both in the quantity eaten and in its quality. Consumption of starchy foods is no exception.

What is vegetable starch used for?

• It is important for muscle fibers and the brain.
• In addition, starch is necessary for the strength of the immune system.
• The benefits and harms of this substance are individual for each organism - this must be remembered. But common to all is the positive effect of consuming this polysaccharide - energy production. The body cannot do without complex carbohydrates.
• It also helps the body resist inflammatory processes.
• Reduces blood sugar levels, making it popular among people with diseases such as diabetes.
• Starch participates in the formation of organic acids.

Corn starch: benefit or harm?

This type of starch is similar to potato starch with only a small difference - it is slightly more nutritious. 300 kcal is found in 100 grams of the “crisp” substance from potatoes, 330 kcal contains corn starch. Their benefits are identical.

How much is normal?

This raises the question: how much starch per day can be considered normal for the average person? If you cannot imagine your life without potatoes, then you can safely eat up to four kilograms of them a day, provided that you do not eat other foods. It is not surprising that doctors prescribe the potato diet to some of their patients.

Caution: starch!

It turns out that all the “horror stories” about this substance are a “canard” generated by the competitive struggle of industrialists? So what really scared people about starch?

The benefits and harms discussed above apply only to plant products containing this polysaccharide. The real danger lies in the refined one and it will not give the body anything from which it could benefit. Mechanical and chemical methods of processing potato or corn raw materials to produce starch contribute to their negative content. It is in such a substance that there is a lack of dietary fiber, so necessary for the body, and too few useful substances.

And if an ordinary housewife avoids adding industrially produced starch to food, then she may not notice that this product still ends up on the food supply. dinner table her family in significant numbers. After all, everyone loves baked goods baked from high-quality, and therefore high-starch, flour. The “enemy” encroaches on human health, hiding in mayonnaise, ketchup and many other products where starch is added during the production process.

It is this white powder that is capable of provoking hormonal imbalances, atherosclerosis and other equally annoying problems in the human body.

What to do?

The answer to this question is obvious, but it will require some effort from a modern person.

Firstly, if possible, you should avoid products containing industrially produced starch. You can carefully re-read the list of ingredients written on the product packaging, but it would be more correct to switch to nutrition simple products homemade.

It is better to permanently exclude store-bought sausages, sausages, sauces, chips and other similar products and fast food from your diet. Dishes prepared at home from products grown on your own plot are well nourishing and beneficial.

Secondly, you need to remember that you shouldn’t expect much benefit from starch, which enters the human body along with protein foods. It simply will not be digested, since the alkaline acid involved in this process will be busy digesting the protein. What will starch do? It will simply settle in the fat cells of the human body.

But such “fellow travelers” of potatoes, squash, corn, celery, radish, pumpkin, horseradish and similar vegetables, such as vegetable oil, sour cream, cream - are only beneficial! Help yourself to your health!

Starch is a small disaster for the body. (Ivan Tsarevich)

Detailed answer to questions:

Why you shouldn't eat flour products
- Why do some foods retain so much water?
- What is a paste and how is it formed in our body?
- Which foods should be excluded?
- Why, after giving up flour products, the weight remains for another week or two and the water does not go away?

Starch. General information:

Starch belongs to the group of polysaccharides, or combined sugars. This is the most important form in which saccharides (sugars) are present in plant cells. They can be found in large quantities in plant seeds (especially rice), as well as chestnuts, carrots, tubers, roots, stems, and sometimes in fruits and leaves.

Many starch-rich plant parts are important sources of nutrition for humans and animals and are therefore of great economic importance. These are potatoes, wheat, maize/corn, rice, oats, barley, rye, buckwheat, legumes, soybeans, arrowroot and sago (from the heartwood of some palm trees).

How our body processes starch:

In the human body, starch from raw plants gradually breaks down in the digestive tract, and the breakdown begins in the mouth.
Saliva in the mouth partially converts it into maltose. This is why chewing food well and moistening it with saliva is extremely important (remember the rule - do not drink while eating).
In the intestine, maltose is hydrolyzed to monosaccharides, which penetrate the intestinal wall. There they are converted into phosphates and enter the blood in this form. Their further path is the monosaccharide path, the final result is glucose.

But leading naturopaths have negative reviews of boiled starch.

The starch molecule is insoluble in water, alcohol, or ether. These insoluble particles of starch, entering the circulatory system, seem to clog the blood, adding a kind of “cereal” to it.
The blood in the process of circulation tends to get rid of this grain, creating a storage place for it.
When food rich in starches, especially white flour, is consumed, the liver tissue hardens as a result. In addition, starch is known for its ability to retain water.

In human diets, starch accounts for about 80% of the total amount of carbohydrates consumed. Starch's chemical structure consists of a large number of monosaccharide molecules. The complexity of the structure of polysaccharide molecules is the reason for their INSOLUBILITY. Starch has only the property of colloidal solubility. It does not dissolve in any of the usual solvents.

The study of colloidal solutions of starch showed that its solution does not consist of individual starch molecules, but their primary particles - micelles, including a large number of molecules.
Starch contains two fractions of polysaccharides - amylose and amylopectin, which differ sharply in properties.

Amylose
in starch 15-25%. It dissolves in hot water (80 °C), forming a transparent colloidal solution.
Amylopectin makes up 75-85% of the starch grain. It does not dissolve in hot water, but only undergoes swelling (requiring fluid from the body for this).

Thus, when starch is exposed to hot water, an amylose solution is formed, which is thickened by swollen amylopectin. The resulting thick viscous mass is called PASTE. The same picture is observed in our gastrointestinal tract. And the finer the bread is made from, the better the quality of the paste.

The paste clogs the microvilli of the duodenum and the underlying parts of the small intestine, shutting them out from digestion. In the large intestine, this mass, dehydrated, “sticks” to the wall of the colon, forming a fecal stone.

The conversion of starch in the body is mainly aimed at satisfying the need for sugar. Starch is converted into glucose sequentially, through a series of intermediate formations. This process can easily be disrupted by consuming water incorrectly.

In addition, quite recently scientists have found that in order for the body to produce 1000 kilocalories from 250 grams of protein or carbohydrates, it must be consumed
a significant amount of biologically active substances, in particular vitamins B1, B2, B3 (PP), C and so on.

That is, for normal absorption of food, vitamins and microelements are also needed, because their actions in the body are interconnected. Without this condition, starch ferments, rots, poisoning us. Almost everyone coughs up starchy mucus every day, which overwhelms our bodies and causes endless runny noses and colds.

To eat or not to eat?

Most books on nutrition focus on the importance of starch as a source of energy. Starch is an important component of traditional nutrition.
A significant portion of the world's agricultural products for human and animal consumption consists of starch-containing products.

There is no need to completely give up starch-containing foods, or rather, it is even important to have them in your diet. But! They should be no more than 20 percent of all food, and not 80-90, as is customary now. In addition, proper consumption of starchy foods requires understanding some points:

1. Starches combine well with each other and very poorly with other products.
2. It is best to combine starches with raw vegetable salads
3. Starches are better digested when the body has enough B vitamins
4. Heat-treated starchy foods are more difficult to digest than raw ones.

In the production of which food products is starch used? in this case it is heat-treated, i.e. difficult to digest and excrete):

Confectionery industry (licorice candies, liqueur candies, etc...)
baked goods (pastry cream, fillings, glazes, etc...)
semi-finished food products for instant cooking
dairy products (yogurt, desserts)
instant desserts
canned food
molded snacks
ice cream
frozen food
meat and fish products
fat substitutes
beverages
noodles
instant soups, dry soups
glazed nuts
crackers

White rice 78
Whole rice 75
Millet 69
Maize/corn 65
Oats 61
Wheat 60
Barley 58
Rye 54

Rice flour 79
Cornflakes 74
Barley flour 72
Wheat flour 72
Popcorn 68
Corn flour 65
Oat dish 61

Bread
Fresh bread 66
Crackers 61
Whole flour crackers 58
White bread 48
Rye bread 45
Puff pastry pastries 37

Pasta
Spaghetti 75
Noodles 65
Whole flour noodles 64

Vegetables high in starch
Crispy potatoes (chips) 53
French fries 35
Potato croquettes 20
Raw potatoes 15.4
Boiled potatoes 14
Horseradish 11.7
Ginger 11.2
Carrot

Low starch foods

Garlic
pumpkin
peas
artichoke
kohlrabi
chicory, asparagus
cabbage, mushrooms, endive
green and red peppers
parsley
radish
spinach
parsnip.

Vegetables and plants that DO NOT CONTAIN starch:

Onion, chervil, cucumber, gherkin, rutabaga, purslane, turnip, rhubarb, red cabbage, white cabbage, salsify, lettuce, Brussels sprouts, tomatoes, watercress, vegetable valerian, dill, watercress, eggplant, cauliflower, broccoli, chives, dandelion, nettle, leek, shallot, sorrel.

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Starch is a free-flowing powder (white or yellowish in color) that is obtained from potatoes. It is classified as present in various vegetables and fruits, cereals and legumes. In the stomach, this substance is converted into glucose, which is a source of energy. In addition, potato starch often acts as a paste. Therefore, it is indispensable in cooking various sauces, jelly and gravy. This product is also used for baking. In particular, it can partially replace flour. It gives dough products a friability.

Potato starch: benefit

First of all, it is worth noting that this product reduces cholesterol levels. Thus, it has anti-sclerotic properties. In addition, potato starch contains a lot of potassium. essential for those struggling with kidney disease. Starch also helps remove excess fluid from the body.

Traditional medicine considers starch to be a good antiulcer agent. After all, it has anti-inflammatory and enveloping properties. After numerous studies, it was proven that the described product can activate the synthesis of the named substance is necessary for normalizing metabolism and good digestion.

Potato starch: harm

Refined starches obtained during industrial production (meaning the usual white powder) are considered harmful. During the digestion process, they increase insulin levels, which subsequently leads to atherosclerosis, various hormonal disorders and pathology of the eyeball. But remember that the harm of starch will only be felt if there is a high content of this powder in foods that are subject to heat treatment. Sometimes this even contributes to the development of cancer. After all, during high-temperature processing, a toxic substance is formed in starch. Fans of chips and fried potatoes should definitely remember this.

Modified starch

When studying the composition of any product, you can find such a component as “modified starch”. If we talk about ordinary starch, then everyone is familiar with it, but what is meant by the obscure clarification “modified”? How harmful is this food supplement? Where to buy starch that is safe for health?

Modified starch, as a result of a whole cycle of changes, acquires the ability to retain moisture. Namely, this allows you to obtain a product of the required consistency and improves the properties of starch as a thickener. At the same time, modification of the product does not affect its gene structure. At the moment, about two dozen types of modified starches are used in Russia. They are divided according to the method of production: bleached, heat-treated, oxidized, etc. But it is worth noting that, according to the observations of Moscow doctors, the risk of pancreatic diseases increases in children who actively consume foods with the addition of modified starch.

Starch is a white powder, sometimes has a yellowish tint. This product is widely used in cooking, due to its beneficial properties.

Starch belongs to the group of complex carbohydrates that are quite well absorbed by the human body. This component is included in legumes, cereals, vegetables, fruits, nuts. The most common types are potato, corn, wheat, rice, rye, barley, oat, pea, bean starch and others.

When interacting with water, starch particles stick together, which leads to the formation of a colloidal solution. Therefore, it is often used to prepare some culinary dishes as a thickener: jelly, gravy, sauce, mayonnaise, paste, pudding. To make the dough crumbly, it is necessary to replace part of the flour with potato starch, which will improve the structure of the finished baked goods.

The benefits of starch

How is starch useful? First of all, its use leads to a decrease in cholesterol in the blood, which is associated with its anti-sclerotic properties. Potassium contained in potatoes helps speed up the process of treatment and recovery for people with kidney diseases.

For frequent alcohol poisoning, starch is also useful, as it removes excess water. Due to this, the hangover syndrome passes faster and sobering occurs.

Recipes traditional medicine, which include starch, have found their use as a treatment for gastric or duodenal ulcers. The action is based on the anti-inflammatory and enveloping properties of the product. For example, to treat stomach diseases, it is recommended to drink juice raw potatoes immediately before eating. With regular use in food, the synthesis of riboflavin is activated.

The synthesis of riboflavin or vitamin B2 leads to the normalization of metabolic processes and restoration of proper digestion

Harm of starch

It should be noted that high starch content in foods leads to the development of cancer.

Kira Stoletova

Starch is a necessary substance for healthy eating. It controls carbohydrate balance and restores energy expenditure, is quickly absorbed and contains amylopectin with amylose. People should know the benefits and harms of potato starch before consuming it.