What is starch and in what foods is it contained?

About what starch is, many people know from school. It is a loose yellowish or white powder. Everyone remembers the school experience with blue iodine colored potato tuber. This helps teach children to determine the properties of starch and the degree of its storage in foods. Let's look at this substance as a component of our daily diet.

What is starch. Products in which it is contained

It is a complex carbohydrate, which is well absorbed when ingested. Not so fast, of course, like sugar (which is a simple carbohydrate). But this rate of digestion is enough to support the strength of the body and replenish the glycogen reserve in the liver. Such excellent digestibility is the cause of one of the main properties of starchy foods - leading to weight gain. It is she, and not caloric content (which is a little more than three hundred kilocalories) influences that the carbohydrates that have arrived in excess quantity from food with a high probability will turn into fatty deposits. It is because of this that many people who follow their diet and figure begin to wonder about what starch is and what it contains. First of all, of course, this stuff is rich in flour products. All cereals, legumes - are starchy foods. Therefore, they should be limited to those people who are prone to fatness, as well as diabetics and those who have problems with the pancreas. Starch in potatoes is also easily digested. The most useful is baked potatoes. In most refined products produced by modern industry (such as snacks, sauces, quick breakfasts), starch can be kept hidden. Therefore, to take into account all consumed carbohydrates, read the composition carefully on the package.

What is starch? The importance of this substance in cooking

The viscosity of the starch solution makes it possible to use this colloid as a kind of glue. From it prepare jelly, it is added to sauces and gravy to give a density. Part of the flour when baking cakes and pastries is sometimes replaced with potato or cornstarch. This positively affects the structure of products: biscuits become more airy and dry, better absorb the cream. We just need to remember that the excess of starch can give the product a not very pleasant taste, therefore it is necessary to add dairy (sour-milk products) and flavoring substances (vanilla, spices) in addition to it. Adding a small amount of starch in the biscuit will help roll it in a more thin layer and increase the softness of the product.

Application in folk medicine

It has long been known about the anti-ulcer properties of starch: for the healing of the gastric mucosa, the juice of raw potatoes has long been used. The healers noticed its enveloping and anti-inflammatory properties. Starch also resists atherosclerosis, and the content of potassium in starchy foods has a beneficial effect on removing excess fluid from the body. The latter property is very important for those who suffer from kidney diseases.