Resistant Starch (RS)

My health coach recently told me that my “colon microbiome” would be much healthier if I regularly fed it “resistant starch.” Well, that went right over my head and subsequent explanations were even at a higher altitude. Can you help me understand what this is?

Resistant Starch (RS) is a complex carbohydrate that “resists” being digested in your stomach and small intestine. It passes straight through to your colon or large intestine. There it provides food for your trillions of “good” bacteria, part of your microbiome. In the colon, “good” bacteria help with digestion and also help to rein in “bad” bacteria. A type of prebiotic, Resistant Starch (RS) does not spike blood glucose or insulin after being eaten and provides fewer calories. According to NIH studies, RS reaches the colon intact where it is consumed by good bacteria. It not only decreases the blood glucose levels at the time it is eaten, blood glucose and insulin levels after a subsequent meal also rise less than would otherwise be expected.