What is starch and what foods does it contain?

The fact that such a starch, many know from school.It is a free flowing yellow or white powder. Everyone remembers the school experience with colored iodine in the blue color of potato tuber. This helps teach children to determine the properties of starch and the degree of its content in products. Let's look at this substance as part of our daily diet.

What is starch. Products in which it is contained

This is a complex carbohydrate that is beautifulabsorbed upon entry into the body. Not so fast, of course, like sugar (which is a simple carbohydrate). But this speed of absorption is enough to reinforce the strength of the body and replenish the supply of glycogen in the liver. Such excellent digestibility is the cause of one of the main properties of starchy foods - lead to weight gain. It is she, and not calorie (which is a little more than three hundred calories) that affects the amount of carbohydrates in excess of food with a high probability of turning into body fat.

It is because of this that many people who followwith their nutrition and body, they begin to wonder about what starch is and what it contains. First and foremost, of course, flour products are rich in this substance. All cereals, legumes are starchy foods. Therefore, they should be limited to those people who are prone to corpulence, as well as to diabetics and those who have problems with the pancreas. Starch in potatoes is also easily digested. The most useful baked potatoes. In most refined products produced by modern industry (such as snacks, sauces, quick breakfasts), starch can be contained in a hidden form. Therefore, to take into account all carbohydrates consumed, read carefully the composition on the package.

What is starch? The value of this substance in cooking

The viscosity of the starch solution allowsuse this colloid as a kind of paste. From it cook jelly, it is added to sauces and gravies to impart density. Part of the flour in baking cakes and pastries is sometimes replaced with potato or corn starch. This has a positive effect on the structure of products: biscuits become more airy and dry, absorb cream better. It is only necessary to remember that an excess of starch can give the product a not very pleasant taste, so dairy (fermented milk products) and flavoring substances (vanilla, spices) must be added to the dough. Adding a small amount of starch to the cookie will help roll it out in a thinner layer and increase the softness of the product.

Application in folk medicine

Long known about anti-ulcer propertiesstarch: for the healing of the mucous membrane of the stomach has long been used the juice of raw potatoes. Healers noticed his enveloping and anti-inflammatory properties. Starch also counters atherosclerosis, and the content of potassium in starchy foods has a beneficial effect on the elimination of excess fluid from the body. The latter property is very important for those suffering from renal disease.