A study from Johns Hopkins Medicine suggests that cooling cooked carbs like rice, pasta, and bread before reheating them can turn them into healthier foods. This process creates resistant starch, which helps prevent blood sugar spikes and improve gut health. Resistant starch acts as a prebiotic, feeding beneficial gut bacteria, and doesn’t break down into glucose easily, thus keeping blood sugar levels stable. It also offers dietary benefits such as increased satiety, reduced risk of colon cancer, and lower cholesterol. For effective resistant starch formation, cooking carbohydrates then cooling them overnight before reheating is recommended. This method works well with naturally low glycemic carbs like brown rice, oats, and whole wheat pasta.
