Author Topic: Retrograded Potato Salad  (Read 14861 times)

Shoelace

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Retrograded Potato Salad
« on: March 08, 2014, 01:57:15 PM »
Hello, Gang... Tony here.

I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIS RECIPE TO OUR FTS FAMILY!
See my post made earlier this morning (2014-04-16) for details.

Tony

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I am posting this here instead of with the side dishes 'cause it isn't your usual recipe.

I will get to the recipe eventually, I promise, but first I have to tell you some stuff that I learned by doing some studying on the subject.  You may have heard of resistant starch, and considered it to be a scam.  In some cases, I'm sure it is, especially if someone is trying to sell a product.  But before you dismiss it out of hand, I hope you will hear me out on the subject of potatoes, and hopefully we can have a discussion and maybe some will be willing to do their own experiment, as I have done.  I can't speak on the subject of whether or not other 'retrograded' food is a scam, only retrograded potatoes.

The different types of potatoes contain various amounts of resistant starch.  Most people cannot digest resistant starch in their small intestine (which is where glucose absorption occurs). The resistant starch then travels to the large intestine while not raising the blood sugar level. That's great for Diabetics, but also good for anyone who is eating low carb, plus studies show that among other things, resistant starch can increase the body’s ability to burn fat. It can also improve insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance, more good news for Diabetics.

In the digestion process, resistant starch in the large intestine is fermented, releasing a compliment of good bacteria and by-products that the body can use as a fuel source. It creates a beneficial short-chain fatty acid called butyrate. Butyrate may block the body’s ability to burn carbohydrates. Instead, the body burns both stored fat and recently consumed fat for energy.

Some people are 'retrograding' (converting) the starch in potatoes to resistant starch. Boiling the potatoes whole kicks the resistant starch factor up several notches, and new red potatoes already contain more resistant starch than, say, Idaho potatoes, so many of these people are using new red potatoes for this. On at least one diabetes forum, they have done their own experiments with it, with amazing results. I did a test of my own. I ate 1/2 cup of potato salad made with retrograded potatoes and here are my blood sugar readings:

Before eating - 104
1 hour - 107
2 hours - 92
3 hours - 89

If you don't know anything about Diabetes, let me tell you these numbers are amazing. 1/2 cup of potato salad that has not been retrograded would take my blood sugar well up over 150 or 175.  Also note that 2 hours after eating it, my blood sugar is 12  points lower than it was before I ate.  I have tested this many times since with equally good results.  We are all different, and will all get different results, but I have seen the results of several who did their own test on the aforementioned diabetes forum, and all of the test results were excellent.

I understand that all or most of you count carbs, and it is impossible to know (at least at this time) how many carbs are in retrograded potato salad, but since it doesn't raise the blood sugar very much at all, there can't be many 'carbs that count' in this.

These instructions must be followed exactly as very slow cooling of the potatoes after cooking is important, as is the time they are to be refrigerated before eating.  If you eat more than 1/2 cup, of course your blood sugar will be higher, so be sure to limit servings to 1/2 cup, and cook the potatoes whole.

Retrograded Potato Salad Recipe

Wash some small, new potatoes (skins on), cover with water, put on the lid, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 30 minutes or until tender but not mushy. The potatoes must be cooled slowly. Remove from heat, pour off the water, leave the lid on and let cool on the counter without lifting the lid until room temperature. This could take a few hours. You can make the potato salad once they are room temperature, or wait until they are finished cooling in the refrigerator. Place the spuds in the fridge (and don't eat) for 24 hours. Leaving the skins on provides more fiber, or you can remove the skins. That's all there is to it. (Reheating retrograded potatoes makes the starch revert back, so don't reheat.)
« Last Edit: April 16, 2014, 12:05:54 PM by mouseissue »

Kim P

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2014, 09:15:55 PM »
Interesting - I have never heard of this......



mouseissue

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2014, 01:05:21 PM »
Hi, Shoelace! :)

This is VERY interesting... Especially your blood glucose readings before and after. :o

We know that the reason potatoes are high in digestible carbs is the starch content.
And it would seem that "retrograded" potato starch is similar to sugar alcohols.
They do exactly what you describe in out intestinal tract as do sugar alcohols.

I wonder if this "retrograde" process causes a molecular change to the starch to make it indigestible (resistant)?

For some, eating sugar alcohols will halt weight loss progress.
This could also be true for "retrograded potatoes".
So, I would like to warn anyone trying this to be VERY careful and see what happens.
Since no two of us have identical metabolisms, we want to be sure that we don't mess up our progress. ;)

Tony
What you do today is what matters!




Shoelace

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2014, 05:38:45 PM »
I don't put much stock in research on rats, but there have been resistant starch studies on rats and also on humans that say resistant starch helps with weight loss, and there are now resistant starch diets out there, which I wouldn't recommend.  So I guess resistant starch must not work like sugar alcohols.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2014, 06:36:24 PM by Shoelace »

mouseissue

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #4 on: March 10, 2014, 01:10:05 PM »
Hi, Shoelace! :)

Sugar alcohols are not processed into glucose like digestible carbs.
I surmised resistant starch MIGHT be processed in a SIMILAR way as sugar alcohols in the small intestine.

That being said, I would caution anyone trying this to pay close attention to how their body responds.
What may be fine for some, may not for others.

One of the primary goals of FTS is to help EACH of us learn how our bodies respond to various foods, amounts, etc..
This is how we can make it a lifestyle.
If any of us finds that something seems to slow our progress (or raise blood sugar),
we should put that information to use.

Tony


What you do today is what matters!




Shoelace

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #5 on: March 10, 2014, 11:51:29 PM »
I agree.  We are all different.  My original post said, "Most people cannot digest resistant starch in their small intestine"  The information I read on the subject did say most people, so obviously not all would have a positive outcome.

umpa

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #6 on: March 11, 2014, 02:09:39 PM »
Interesting :)

mouseissue

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2014, 12:01:57 PM »
Hello, Gang!

Word of of warning...

I made this recipe with skin left on the potatoes (expecting better results).
I ate it as a dinner side three nights in a row.

At my last weigh in... I GAINED 5 POUNDS!!! :o :o :o :o :o
I immediately threw out what I had left.

Since FTS is very forgiving of such mistakes, I'm just sticking with my normal FTS eating plan,
and these pounds will disappear very soon. :) :) :)

I experience normal minor weight fluctuations of one to three pounds once in a while.
But NEVER FIVE POUNDS!!!
I did not eat anything unusual in the last week or so. And my salt intake was normal.
So I conclude that it had to be from the starch (i.e. hidden sugar) in those spuds.

Therefore, I DO NOT RECOMMEND HIS RECIPE TO OUR FTS FAMILY!

Tony
What you do today is what matters!




morgan

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2014, 06:01:11 PM »
Oh wow..........



o0OSusieO0o

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Re: Retrograded Potato Salad
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2014, 11:09:03 PM »
I belonged to a low carb SparkPeople group who were into this. I left that group because they praised it too much.