Potato Salad Recipe

[Widget]

I'll get to the recipe, but first... I posted something about resistant starch in another part of the forum, but there wasn't much response. More people seem to hang out here so I decided to try posting here. (This is not about the resistant corn or wheat starch that you buy.)

I have read a lot of what has been posted on this forum about resistant starch. Some of it was on the technical side, I'm a humble high school grad so hope we can keep things simple.

Resistant starch can be man-made as in Dreamfields pasta, or some foods like potatoes and beans contain differing amounts of it.

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.

Some people are 'retrograding' the starch in potatoes to resistant starch. Boiling the potatoes whole kicks the resistant starch factor up several notches, and new potatoes already contain more resistant starch than, say, Idaho potatoes, so many of these people are using new 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

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.

RETROGRADED POTATO SALAD

Wash some 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 until room temp. This could take a few hours. You can make the potato salad once they are room temperature, or wait until later. Place the spuds in the fridge (and don't eat) for 24 hours. You can make the potato salad any time during the 24 hour period. Leaving the skins on provides more fiber. That's all there is to it. (Reheating retrograded potatoes makes the starch revert back, so don't reheat.)

[THELOU]

WOW!! it's too bad this can't be done with other foods. I'd like to hear more on this.

[dianafoot]

This is very interesting! Where did you learn about it? Potato salad is perhaps the one starchy thing I miss most, and rutabagas, cauliflower, etc., just are not decent stand-ins for me!

[MiRedkitty]

Yes, sounds VERY interesting! I would recommend that anyone WITHOUT a blood sugar tester, NOT venture into these waters, until you know how it will effect you - everyone's bodies react differently. I have TWO, so will be trying very soon (for the sake of science, of course!) It amazes me how we all learn something new from the EXPERTS on this board every day !

Widget, you're the best! only a "high school grad"? I know people that have their Doctorates and don't know their rear from a hole in the ground! So, YOU GO GIRL! Keep the "scientific knowledge" coming! We all learn so much from each other! I LOVE THIS PLACE!!!

[Widget]

dianafoot, I first learned about this from the Diabetes forum I mentioned. I did some searching on the web for more info. There is a lot of info. out there about resistant starch, but I could find little on how to go about retrograding the different types of food.

THELOU, other foods can be retrograded. I know that rice must be cooked and cooled, cooked and cooled, cooked and cooled, but I don't know the exact process. It seems like a lot of effort for rice that must be eaten cold (and maybe overcooked?). Some beans (and probably other starchy veggies) can be retrograded, but how many of those do we want to eat cold? I'm just glad to know it can be done with potatoes.

[drjlocarb]

It seems the starch is digested by the bacteria in the large intestines and the by-product of that digestion is then converted to usable energy by the cells of the large intestines.
Does that mean we use less absorbed energy(glucose)? Like we use alcohol or MCT instead of blood glucose?

[Widget]

All I know about the digestion process of resistant starch in the large intestine is that it 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.

[dianafoot]

I did a little research on the net and found that Harold McGee, the food science guru of all time, wrote about this in his book, On Food and Cooking: The Science and lore of the Kitchen (I have this book, it has fascinating information on what happens when you prepare food).

There was a really good article on it, too, on a website called "tasting menu". There it is explained that you slice and simmer the potatoes on very low heat for 30 minutes, then cool them completely. After that, you finish cooking them until they are done and refrigerate them. You can then mash them or make potato salad.

Thanks for the heads-up about this--I going to get some red potatoes and start experimenting! I will post blood sugar readings afterwards. I am VERY sensitive to carbs, so this should be interesting.

[Widget]

Originally Posted by dianafoot

you slice and simmer the potatoes on very low heat for 30 minutes, then cool them completely. After that, you finish cooking them until they are done and refrigerate them. You can then mash them or make potato salad.

I assume you have to eat the mashed potatoes cold, as everything I have read says you can't reheat them or you will undo what you have done.

Also, slicing the potatoes, cooking 30 min. then cooking a second time sounds like a lot of cooking, I'd be afraid of ending up with mushy spuds. I don't understand why the spuds are cooked twice when once will do it.

After your test, I hope you will tell us the exact method you used, It might make a difference in your test results.

[ladeeda]

Oh this sounds so good...I am supper sensitive to carbs. Can't use the Dreamfield's pasta. I am going to try this and will report back.

[Widget]

ladeeda, I'm glad that you and others are going to give it a try. I'm sure we would all appreciate you guys/gals posting the results.

Sometimes I wonder why certain foods spike some people's blood sugar and not others. For example, Dreamfields pasta. Since I started eating low carb a couple of years ago, I've done plenty of experimenting with food. Dreamfields doesn't spike my blood sugar, but if it did, I would want to know why. I would cook up one serving, drain, add lots of butter and some salt and pepper. I'd test my bg before eating, then every hour after that until it went back down to where it started. That way I would be positive it was the Dreamfields that was spiking me, and not something in the pasta sauce.

I do know if you overcook or reheat the pasta, the 'resistant starch' thing won't work. In my opinion, the cooking time on the pasta box is too long. I use a timer and cook 2 to 2 1/2 minutes less than directed, and it is always done to perfection.

My Mom got me hooked on the buttered spaghetti thing, my kids grew up with it, so they love it too.

[Buffy45]

Subbing!

[Ginaaaaaa]

Very interesting!! I will definitely give this a try. I usually always buy red potatoes because they seem to have less carbs than other kinds.

[Barbo]

Could you tell us the name of the diabetic forum where you
found this information? I would like to look into this. Most interesting.

thanks in advance

b

[Widget]

The name of the forum is Diabetes Forum. You won't find a lot on the site about resistant starch, but the potato salad experiments are in the 'Forum Lounge' section, the name of the thread is 'My Resistant Starch Experiment' and at the moment, that thread is on page 3.

[Mobear]

Thanks for the info Widget. I am not able to use Dreamfields as it spikes my blood sugar....but not until about 3 hours after I've eaten it.

I'll be following this thread to learn more about the potato experiments!

[PaminKY]

subbing

[rosethorns]

Wow.

[shunsweets]

So did anyone else try this experiment? Any new results to report? Very interesting.

[Ginaaaaaa]

I'm bumming, I just went shopping and forgot to put red potatoes on my list!! I really wanted to try this too.

[buttoni]

Very interesting! I may try this some time. DH has a BG meter I can use.

[Ginaaaaaa]

Buttoni, I'm pretty sure that unless you have diabetes or some other type of insulin problem, you will not have a rapid rise in bg or anything showing as a response to carbs, as your body uses and makes insulin properly, unlike somebody who does have diabetes, whereas their body doesn't use or make enough insulin and will have a rise in bg after eating carbs. I think a lot of people don't realize that unless you have a medical problem with insulin you will not have the same type of response as someone who does.

Unless I misunderstood and you're going to be using the meter to test your husbands bg if he has disabetes, in that case I apologize for rambling on and on about it.

[buttoni]

No, I actually meant myself, Gina. I'm not diabetic; DH is T2. I was meaning to run a test on ME before and 1, 2 hours after eating normally boiled potatoes. Then on another occasion, doing the retrograded potatoes per instructions and testing ME before eating and 1,2 hours after, to see if the so-called retrograding effort makes any difference for me.

[Ginaaaaaa]

You would do better to test your DH, as it would be more telling. Like I said, if you have normal insulin levels you will not have a response either way because your body makes and uses insulin the way it's suppose to. When you eat carbs your body releases the amount of insulin that's needed, your DH on the other hand would have a spike in bg when eating carbs.

[buttoni]

If I were insulin resistant (which I don't know), there would be an effect on BG, would there not? In that case, all the insulin in the world, then, wouldn't do its job, right?

[Ginaaaaaa]

If insulin resistance exists, more insulin needs to be secreted by the pancreas. If this compensatory increase does not occur, blood glucose concentrations increase and type 2 diabetes occurs.

Usually for type 2 you can control it by diet, exercise, weight loss and oral medications. If it's not controlled by those, then you would need insulin injections.

I was just trying to say, if you haven't been diagnosed with any insulin problems you wouldn't see any spikes of bg when testing. Your body makes and uses insulin so your bg maintains a normal level.

[rosethorns]

This is very interesting. I'm hypoglycemic from foods I'm allergic too. If I ate a potato my bs would be about 26. It's what they've done playing with our foods. I know most of them but not all. My woe is also a health journey.
I would really love to hear the results.

[Widget]

I haven't had the time or inclination to research this on the web (I don't even know whether or not this info. IS on the web.), but I have been wondering... I believe a lot of the calories in a potato come from the starch. If the potato is retrograded, and the starch passes through the small intestine without being digested, I wonder if that means retrograded potatoes have less calories than those that have not been retrograded. Any input on this?

[Barbo]

Widget,
Have you tested tried and true yet?

Anyone else tried this? I miss potatoes.

[Widget]

Yes, my test results are in the first post in this thread. I ate 1/2 cup and my bg readings were

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

Yesterday the new red potatoes at Walmart were too big for my liking, so on Wed. I'm going to the commissary and will be picking up some more. I want to test after eating one cup.

At the diabetes forum, my test results were better than the others, but I believe it is because I cooled the spuds slowly before refrigerating them (that's what all the online instructions say to do). If you do the procedure exactly as I described, I think you'll have great results.