Resistant Starch: What It Is, What It Isn’t, and Why It’s Not a Free Pass

There’s a lot of buzz around resistant starch these days. If you’ve ever heard someone say, “It’s fine, I cooled the rice so now it’s healthy!” or “Cold potatoes are basically fiber,” then you’ve already met the latest loophole in the carb conversation.

But let’s clear a few things up—because resistant starch isn’t some magical transformation that turns pasta salad into a superfood.

What Is Resistant Starch?

Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine and ferments in the colon, acting more like fiber than sugar. Because it’s not fully broken down, it doesn’t spike glucose and insulin the way typical starch does.

Types of resistant starch include:

• Raw starches (like raw potato or green banana flour)

• Cooked and cooled starches (like rice, potatoes, and pasta that have been chilled)

Sounds great, right?

Here’s the Catch: It’s Not Much

The internet makes it sound like chilling your rice or reheating leftover pasta makes your meal magically blood sugar-friendly. But the actual research says otherwise.

Only about 5% of the starch in cooked-and-cooled foods becomes resistant. That means 95% of it is still regular, digestible starch—aka the kind that spikes insulin and glucose just like fresh-out-of-the-oven sourdough bread.

Worse yet? If you reheat the food, most of that resistant starch reverts right back to regular starch.

❌ What Resistant Starch Is Not:

• It’s not a reason to eat rice or potatoes with abandon.

• It’s not an excuse to eat starch at every meal because you let it cool first.

• It’s not an excuse to eat processed keto foods full of resistant wheat starch.

• It’s not the same as fiber in leafy greens, fruits, avocados, nuts, or seeds.

• And it’s definitely not going to undo the effects of high insulin if you’re already insulin resistant.

Let’s Talk Labels: “Low Carb” Isn’t Regulated

Terms like “low carb,” “keto-friendly,” and “resistant starch” aren’t regulated. Anyone can slap those labels on a product or recipe—even if it still spikes your insulin through the roof.

That’s why it’s so important to understand what’s actually happening in your body—not just what’s happening in your food’s temperature.

For people with insulin resistance, prediabetes, PCOS, or metabolic issues, your goal isn’t just to flatten glucose—it’s to lower insulin. And starch—even cooled starch—still asks your pancreas to work harder.

Yes, resistant starch may have some benefits for the gut microbiome in small amounts. But that doesn’t mean you should be eating cold rice and potatoes every day and calling it therapeutic. For many people, that’s just keeping insulin levels elevated and fat burning turned off.

So What Should You Eat Instead?

Stick with foods that are naturally low in insulin demand:

• Non-starchy vegetables

• Fruits

• Healthy fats

• Protein from whole food sources

• Fiber from nuts, seeds, and greens

These nourish your gut, stabilize your blood sugar, and actually help your metabolism heal—without having to get crafty with potato salad leftovers.

Bottom Line

Yes, resistant starch is a real thing. But no, it’s not a free pass to load up on rice, potatoes, or pasta and pretend you’re eating fiber. If you’re going to have a starch, sure—you might get a tiny benefit from cooling it first. But don’t kid yourself into thinking it transforms the food into something metabolically neutral. At the end of the day, treat starches like treats, and enjoy them in a way that actually feels satisfying. Because let’s be honest—no one’s really excited about cold rice.