Slow starches are those that are more difficult to digest in the small intestine. The body must work harder to break the chemical bonds and convert the complex starches into simple sugars that the it can use for energy. Dr. George Troxler, medical director of Employee Health Services at University Health System in San Antonio, Texas, formulated that concept into a diet plan called the Slow Starch Diet.
History
Pioneering research into the glycemic index conducted by Dr. David Jenkins in the 1970s and expanded at the Harvard School of Public Health in the 1980s found a correlation between starches high in simple sugars and obesity, heart disease and diabetes. Mice eating such a diet in laboratory tests store fat at twice the rate of those on a diet rich in more complex carbohydrates, according to a 2004 study by D.B. Pawlak, et. al., in the "Lancet." Troxler formulated these findings into his diet plan and created three columns outlining "good" and "bad" choices for dieters. Column "A" included foods to avoid. Column "B" listed foods with which dieters should exercise caution. And column "C" detailed foods with a low glycemic index that were the preferred choices.
Foundation
When starches are rapidly assimilated, it causes an insulin spike which can make a person feel hungry again faster. The sugar is so readily available to burn for energy that it gets used up quickly, and what can't be used in the moment is stored away as fat. The Harvard research that motivated Troxler to formulate the Slow Starch Diet showed that high-glycemic foods--and the physiological response to them--often led to metabolic syndrome, a group of factors that, taken together, indicate a higher risk for heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Misconceptions
Don't confuse sweetness with glycemic index. While simple sugars that are associated with sweets and sodas are indeed foods with a high-glycemic index, white bread and enriched rice are also simple sugars, readily absorbed into the blood. The Slow Starch Diet encourages the use of whole grains and wheat-flour products whenever possible as a replacement. Complex starches like those in whole-grain bread or brown rice help combat cravings as well.
Implementation
Troxler offers lectures and classes on the Slow Starch Diet at the University Health Center. The five-day series is free and includes instruction on dealing with cravings, exercising, the Harvard food pyramid and portioning. The classes dig deeper into Troxler's three columns of food choices and give dieters take-home materials to help them continue on a path to healthy eating.
Sample
A morning meal might be a bowl of steel-cut oats and fruit with a low-glycemic index, such as bananas, followed by lunch and snacks, using whole grain breads or crackers and lean meats. At dinner, kale, chard or spinach are all good vegetable choices while turkey, fish and chicken are recommended for the main course. Troxler mapped out virtually every conceivable option in his "A," "B" and "C" table, from which you can pick and choose.
References
- University Health System: Slow Starch Diet Helps Stop Cravings
- Slow Starch Diet: Dr. Troxler's Slow Starch Diet
- Physorg: Slow Starches Promoted for Weight Loss
- University of Texas Health Science Center: Take a Load (of Carbs) Off
- Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry: Starch with a Slow Digestion
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