Are Potatoes Good for Gut Health?

Improving your gut health is a great way to boost overall wellness and longevity. One way to achieve this is to eat foods that support beneficial gut microbiota. 

Lucky for us our favorite superfood, potatoes, are a quality source of resistant starch. This type of carbohydrate acts as a prebiotic fiber that has several benefits for the gut.

What is Resistant Starch? 

Most carbohydrates are considered starches. And although starches sometimes get a bad rep, they are critical to certain bodily functions.

Many types of starches are broken down by the digestive system. On the other hand, resistant starches are broken down in the large intestine by good bacteria.

What are Prebiotic Foods?

You’ve probably heard of probiotics, the beneficial bacteria that contribute to gut health. However, prebiotics are the food that helps these bacteria thrive.

When gut-friendly bacteria feed on resistant starch, the process produces short-chain fatty acids, including Butyrate.

Improved Colon Health

Butyrate acts as fuel for cells in your colon and reduces inflammation. Plus, whatever the colon doesn’t use travels through the body for additional health benefits to other organs.

And reducing inflammation in our bodies can help with chronic disease prevention and general quality of life improvements:

• Arthritis symptoms
• inflammatory bowel syndrome, 
• lupus, and other autoimmune disorders. 

As well as a decreased risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes, depression, cancer, and other diseases.

How to Boost Your Potato

One way to make your superfood even more powerful is to eat your potato after it’s cooled or refrigerated overnight. This is because cooled potatoes go through starch retrogradation, a process that increases resistant starch content.

Even if you prefer your potatoes hot, reheating them won’t significantly reduce the resistant starch content.

Try our potato salad recipe for a tasty way to help you get more prebiotic fiber in your diet.