Starch is a type of carbohydrate. It is found in many carb-rich foods. These include grains and legumes, which are beans, peas and lentils. Compared with other carb types, starch places more work on the digestive system, as it requires the work of additional enzymes. Intolerance to starchy foods might be the result of an enzyme deficiency. Poor food combination is another likely culprit.
Carb Types
Carbs are one of the three major calorie sources. Chemically, they are molecules of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen. Your body uses carbs as the main form of energy. Carbs are classified as either simple or complex. Simple sugars are sweet-tasting and include glucose, fructose and sucrose. Complex carbs are large molecules of glucose strung together. Unlike simple sugars, starch is not sweet, but because it is more concentrated, starch contains more calories per gram.
Starch Digestion
The simple sugars fructose and glucose are predigested, which means they do not require the work of your enzymes to break them down. Sucrose, or table sugar, is more complex, and your body uses the enzyme sucrase to convert it to a form absorbable by your blood. Starch has a very complex structure and requires a specific enzyme, amylase, to break it into simpler sugars. Amylase is present in the saliva and in the small intestine. If you lack this enzyme, starch can remain undigested, giving rise to gastrointestinal distress. However, other causes for starch intolerance are more likely.
Trouble Digesting Starch
If you have difficulty digesting starch, you might be troubled by symptoms such as bloating, cramping and gas after eating starchy foods, notes Dr. Joel Fuhrman. Although amylase deficiency can occur, if you wolf food down starch without chewing it adequately, you do not allow the amylase in your saliva to adequately break down starch, and this can give rise to digestive difficulty. Fuhrman recommends chewing each mouthful until the natural instinct to swallow kicks in. Sitting down to eat and avoiding long meal-time conversations can also encourage a more relaxed approach to eating through chewing.
Poor Food Combination
Poor food combination is another possible cause of trouble with starch. Starch requires an alkaline medium in the body, and excess stomach acidity can delay digestion, according to the textbook "Food Chemistry." Protein-rich foods such as dairy and meat stimulate the release of acid from the stomach, which hinders starch digestion. Unfortunately, food combinations such as bread and cheese, and cereal and milk, are very common. Harvey Diamond, author of "Fit for LIfe," recommends eating starch with vegetables rather than with protein.
References
- "Eat to Live"; Dr. Joel Fuhrman; 2005
- "Food Chemistry"; H.D. Belitz; 2009
- "Fit for Life"; Harvey Diamond; 2010
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