Beyond the Nutrition Facts Panel - Part 1: Modified Resistant Tapioca

At Scotty’s Everyday, we’re often asked what makes our products different—one of our favorite questions!

First, we usually talk about the great taste, low net carbs, no added sugars, and gluten-free callouts. And while all that’s true, there’s also something special about our actual ingredients compared to other products you’ll find on the market.

That’s because most companies are so focused on the macronutrients and the Nutrition Facts Panel that they’ll use whatever ingredients they need to get to those numbers.

While we agree that the macros are important, we also think it’s important to look at the full picture of what’s actually going into your body.

So what makes us different?

We go beyond the numbers to choose ingredients that are proven to be beneficial for those looking to maintain blood glucose levels, improve insulin sensitivity, lose weight, improve overall health, and support a healthy microbiome.

Four of these ingredients we’re passionate about include:

Modified Resistant Tapioca Starch
Allulose
Psyllium
Inulin

In this four-part blog series, we’ll be diving into these ingredients and their benefits. Today, we’re talking tapioca starch—with a twist. Read on to find out why we love it!

Modified Resistant Tapioca Starch

If you’re thinking this one has a long name, it’s long because the “modified resistant” part is especially important! Tapioca is a starch from the cassava plant, but the rest of the name means it’s been modified to act as a fiber that’s resistant to digestion. And that gives it several functional characteristics.

Gluten-free

Unlike the modified wheat starch used by many other brands, modified resistant tapioca starch is gluten-free, allowing more people to use our products while sticking to their gluten-free goals.

Blood sugar control

Normal tapioca starch can raise your blood sugar, but not the modified resistant kind!

Because it functions like a fiber to slow the absorption of glucose, modified resistant tapioca starch can help regulate blood sugar levels, potentially benefiting people with diabetes or prediabetes.*

What does this look like in terms of your diet and lifestyle?

For one thing, resistant starch is effective at lowering blood sugar after a meal (1). But it also has a “second-meal effect,” meaning that it can help diminish your blood glucose response to carbs eaten in the following meal as well (2).

Resistant starch has also been shown to increase insulin sensitivity, in some studies as much as 33-50% after 4 hours (3,4).

That’s good news, because low insulin sensitivity (also known as insulin resistance) could be a major risk factor not just for Type 2 diabetes but also for health problems like obesity, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.*

Improved gut health

Because resistant starch is not digested in the small intestine, it’s able to reach the colon, where it’s fermented by gut bacteria (6). This promotes a healthy microbiome by positively affecting the type and number of good bacteria.

In addition to that, when this good bacteria digests resistant starch, it forms several beneficial compounds, including short-chain fatty acids like Butyrate (7, 8).

And Butyrate? It’s a favorite fuel of the cells that line your colon, which could be relevant for protecting against colon cancer development (9).*

Weight loss

Another reason we love this ingredient? It has 10% of the calories of regular starch, while also increasing satiety (5). Due to its slow digestion, resistant starch can promote feelings of fullness, potentially leading to reduced caloric intake, which can further aid in weight management.

So far in this series, we’ve taken you beyond the Nutrition Facts Panel you see on the packaging to understand one of our favorite ingredients: modified resistant tapioca starch.

Our ingredients list isn’t just about getting you to those macros or using hacks to make our recipes gluten-free and net low-carb. We go beyond the “free-from” mindset and the numbers to create recipes made with ingredients you’ll actually love.

Next up? Stay tuned for Part 2 of our series, where we’ll talk all things allulose!

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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Beyond the Nutrition Facts Panel - Part 1: Modified Resistant Tapioca Starch