Resistant starch is the maverick of the carbohydrate world: a starch that slips past digestion in the small intestine and arrives, intact, in the colon where it feeds your gut bacteria like a true dietary fibre. You will find generous amounts in cooked-and-cooled legumes such as kidney beans, black beans and chickpeas, in slightly green bananas, and in oats and rice that have been cooked and chilled. Far from being a simple energy source, it ferments into short-chain fatty acids that nourish the gut and steady the body’s response to a meal.
What is Resistant Starch?
Resistant Starch is a fermentable starch that plays a critical role in resisting digestion in the small intestine and instead fermenting in the colon, where it feeds beneficial bacteria and is converted into short-chain fatty acids such as butyrate that nourish the cells lining the gut. While many general diets overlook it, maintaining optimal levels of Resistant Starch is frequently tracked by people working to optimize their Fasting Blood Glucose.
Top Foods High in Resistant Starch
A data-driven breakdown of the foods with the highest concentration of Resistant Starch per 100 g.
| Food | Resistant Starch |
|---|---|
| Green Peas | 4 g |
| Kidney Beans | 3.8 g |
| Banana | 2.8 g |
| Black Beans | 2.7 g |
| Chickpeas | 2.1 g |
| Lentils | 2 g |
| Pinto Beans | 2 g |
| Brown Rice | 1.7 g |
| White Rice | 1.6 g |
| Wholewheat Pasta | 1.4 g |
| Oats | 1 g |
How Resistant Starch Impacts Fasting Blood Glucose
Research links diets rich in Resistant Starch to changes in Fasting Blood Glucose. Diets naturally abundant in this compound often support lower Fasting Blood Glucose markers by slowing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrate, blunting the post-meal glucose spike, and improving insulin sensitivity through the short-chain fatty acids produced during colonic fermentation.
Written by the Nutrition Encyclopedia team · medically reviewed by Dr. Sunaina Tariq, MBBS
Last updated 22 June 2026
How we source & verify data · Medical disclaimer
Nutrition values are approximations compiled from public food-composition databases (USDA FoodData Central) and are provided for educational purposes only — not medical advice.
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