The truth about bananas

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The truth about bananas: Experts reveal the benefits of the fruit based on its colour - and what the brown spots on the skin REALLY mean

* Spots dietitian Ryan Pinto has revealed the benefits of ripe and unripe bananas 
* Green bananas have the least sugar while brown bananas have the most
* Brown spots reveal the presence of sugar but also indicate high antioxidants
* Spotted ones are so rich in them that they've been linked to cancer prevention

As one of the cheapest and most satiating fruits, bananas are up there with the most popular snacks you can buy.

And while their health benefits are widely known, few are aware of how the ripeness of a banana impacts on its nutritional make-up.

So to help make it clear, Australian sports dietitian Ryan Pinto recently shared a graphic about the various benefits - and why eating an over-ripe banana may not be a great idea.

'The best way to understand how the health of a banana can change is by investigating what really happens to them internally over time,' he wrote on his page, High Performance Nutrition AU.

Green bananas

According to Ryan, green bananas are 'youthful, low FODMAP and full of starch'.

'Referred to as "resistant" starch, this nutrient makes your digestive system work a little harder. It's also the reason why green bananas seem to fill you up so quickly,' he wrote.

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However, the starch in green bananas can also 'make you feel gassy or bloated' and also 'contributes to their waxy texture'.

'If you're looking for a banana that's lower GI, go for a green one. Eventually, your body will break this starch down into glucose. This way, green bananas will raise blood sugar levels slowly,' he said.

'The trade-off here is taste. Green bananas can be bitter, as they contain less sugar in every bite.'

Yellow bananas

'Say goodbye to starch and hello to sugar,' Ryan said.

According to the sports dietitian, yellow bananas are 'softer and sweeter' because it contains more sugar. They're also higher on the glyecmic index, meaning they're easier to digest.

'With less starch to break down, your digestive system will soak up the nutrients quicker,' Ryan said.

'Unfortunately, there is always micronutrient loss as bananas age. To make up for this, yellow bananas are more developed when it comes to antioxidants.'

Dietitian Leanne Ward, from Brisbane, usually has a boiled egg and a yellow banana as her second meal of the day.

She tends to eat around six meals a day, alongside plenty of herbal tea and water.

What other health benefits do bananas provide?

* Bananas are rich in pectin, a type of fibre that gives the flesh its spongy structural form.
* Unripe bananas contain resistant starch, which acts like soluble fibre and escapes digestion.
* A medium-sized banana has about three grams of fibre, making bananas a fairly good fibre source.
* Several studies reveal that 15–30 grams of resistant starch per day may improve insulin sensitivity by 33–50 per cent
   in as few as four weeks.
* One 13-year study in women determined that those who ate bananas three to three times per week were 33 per cent
   less likely to develop kidney disease.

Spotted Bananas

Very ripe bananas often exhibit brown spots on their flesh and are much sweeter in taste, which is down to their higher sugar content.

'Not only do brown spots show that a banana has aged, but they also indicate how much starch has been converted to sugar,' Ryan explained.

'Ultimately, the greater number of brown spots a banana has, the more sugar it contains.'

However, Ryan says brown spots can also be seen as 'tiny immune system boosters'.

'Spotted bananas are so rich in antioxidants that they have been linked to cancer prevention.

'Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), which functions to destroy tumours, is linked to those brown dots,' he said.

Brown Bananas 

'Do you remember all that resistant starch? Well, it's practically all sugar now,' Ryan said.

'Just as the starch has broken down into sugar, chlorophyll has taken a new form as well.

'This breakdown of chlorophyll is the reason why antioxidant levels increase as bananas age.

'All bananas are around 100 calories, low in fat and are rich sources of potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C and fibre.'

How a banana a day can keep strokes at bay

An eight-year study of 5,600 men and women over 65 found those with the least potassium in their diet were 1.5 times more likely to have a stroke than those with the most.

As the banana is a useful source of potassium, it can help to reduce the risk of a stroke in old age.

Other potassium-rich foods are lentils, oranges and avocados.

Researchers at the Queen's Medical Centre in Hawaii defined low potassium intake as less than

2.4 grams per day and high intake as more than four grams per day.

In Britain, the recommended daily dose is 3.5g.

Strokes are one of Australia's biggest killers and a leading cause of disability, while it's the third biggest killer in the UK.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-7296203/The-nutrition-truth-bananas.html

[tnshpalmer85]

Thanks for the information. I know bananas are good for you, but I did not they were that good where they can help prevent strokes and cancer.

[vickysue]

Great information there. Which is good  I bought banana's  yesterday and they already have a few  spots on them.  They  don't last  long in our part of the  country as it gets hot unless you are  running all AC'S at the same time and we don't. But getting back to the bananas  I am  going to make a  fruit salad  Tue. to take to the ministry. Every one loves them on these hot days. Yep it will have a lot of bananas  in it.

[rghvac69]

I'm glad bananas are healthy because I love to eat them. 

[linderlizzie]

Ha! I thought this post was going to be an exposé on bananas. The title sounded so dire. 

[Mizzkizz7]

I like bananas at times but not much. It's rich with potassium which is good but I remember I ate a banana and felt nauseous afterward ever since then I haven't eaten one since. When I was little my grandma used to cut them up and put in my cereal.

[tantricia44]

Thanks for the information. I don't really like bananas whatever color but the best kind of banana I like the most is the kind that my mom cooks fried banana's! Yummy, toasty, a light touch of sugar on top & they taste awesome!

[annadote]

Wow. I had no idea that bananas had this many differences in nutrition as they ripen. I know fruits and vegetables can have slight differences in nutrients depending on their ripeness, but I really had no idea it could be much of a differences.

Thanks for letting us know.

[LaTashaS28]

Thanks for sharing the information on bananas. I like to eat bananas and I didn't know they was that healthy. I am glad they are good.

[ngorecki]

that's good to know more about the banana and how good it is for you.

[clickers]

Very useful info, thank you! I always eat my bananas at the just ripe stage. I also pick the ones that have no spot or blemish when I buy them. After reading this I'll more likely eat with spots on them. My grandson only eat the spotted ones. He did mention to us that it was healthier.

[nmbrown863]

Very interesting! I have been eating more bananas lately as my 8 month old son loves them!

[singletonb]

Thanks for the great info.  Banana is one of my most favorite fruit.

[nickylanena]

I love bananas! I am going to make some banana chocolate chip muffins with some overripe, brown/black-ish bananas - I definitely need their natural sugar.

[pkrahmer]

great information! Thanks for sharing! However, i am not a banana person. My favorite way to eat bananas is in banana bread which i eat very rarely.