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I didn't realize until just recently that it has been three years since I last had a stack of pancakes. It was about the time I cut gluten from my diet for various health reasons. While there are many gluten-free pancake mixes available, I find most things labeled as such a little suspect, considering it usually means those products are laden with sugar, refined grains and fillers. A recent IgG food sensitivity test also revealed I can’t have eggs, which is a complete bummer considering they are such a perfect food and add tremendous variety to one’s culinary repertoire.

But I tend to thrive under restrictions. No gluten, eggs or grains? No problem.

I'll admit it though, when my nutritionist told me to start eating green plantains, I wasn’t terribly excited. But without grains and beans in my diet, I was beginning to feel a little desperate for starch. I did some research, got to cookin', and the surprisingly delicious result was my first batch of pancakes in over three years. The best part is these are low glycemic and grain-, gluten- and egg-free, and don’t leave you feeling lethargic and full.

Plantains are an incredibly diverse ingredient. You can make plantain wraps, chips, cookies and more! They are a great starch to bring into the diet, even if you are working to fight candida or diabetes. Here's why: Green plantains are a form of resistant starch, meaning our digestive enzymes are incapable of breaking them down. The formal definition of a resistant starch is, “the sum of starch and products of starch degradation are not absorbed in the small intestine of healthy individuals” [1]. So, instead of spiking glucose levels and initiating an insulin response like other starches, resistant starches (RS) travel through the small intestine into the colon, where colonic gut flora metabolize them into short-chain fatty acids. Resistant starches have even been shown to help those with metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance [2]. See? Not all starches are created equal!

Recipes like this were featured in Elisa's online course, “Create a New Normal: A 22-Day Sugar Cleanse."

This post was originally published by the Natural Gourmet Institute. Learn more about today's Natural Gourmet Center.

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