FitnHealthy Gut Reset™ - Lesson 6b - SIBO & Resistant Starch

Resistant starch is starch that resists digestion in the small intestine and instead gets fermented by microbes further down. It negatively affects all 3 types of SIBO.

That fermentation can be helpful or problematic, depending on gut health (especially SIBO).

Here are the main, practical examples, grouped in a way that actually makes sense.

Raw starch powders (most fermentable)

These are the strongest forms and most likely to worsen SIBO symptoms.

Potato starch (raw, unheated)
Green banana flour
High-amylose maize starch (e.g., Hi-Maize)

These-

Are almost entirely resistant starch
Feed bacteria very efficiently
Commonly increase gas, bloating, and distention in SIBO

Cooked and then cooled starches

When starch is cooked and then cooled, part of it becomes resistant.

Examples-

Cooked potatoes that are cooled (potato salad, leftovers)
Cooked rice that is cooled (sushi rice, leftover rice)
Cooked pasta that is cooled
Cooked oats that are cooled overnight

Important nuance-

Freshly cooked is less resistant
Cooled is more resistant
Reheating lowers resistance slightly, but not fully

Unripe or less ripe plant foods

These contain naturally occurring resistant starch.

Green (unripe) bananas
Green plantains
Very firm, underripe fruit

As fruit ripens -

Resistant starch change to simple sugars
Fermentation risk shifts from starch based to sugar based fibers

Legumes and pulses

These are a mix of resistant starch & fermentable fibers.

Lentils
Chickpeas
Black beans
Kidney beans
Navy beans

Even when well cooked-

Still highly fermentable
Often problematic in methane or mixed SIBO
We have FitnHealthy Forever way of reducing this effect by soaking overnight & rinsing well

Whole and minimally processed grains

Contain smaller but meaningful amounts.