Green or Yellow Banana? Is Green Banana Good for You?
Green or Yellow Banana is available all year round and is known for its potassium content. Which? The answer to this riddle is the banana, and Natalia Hernández Rivas, the president of the Association of Certified Dietitians of the Canary Islands (Addecan), who is a pharmacist and nutritionist, tells us about its nutrients and health benefits.
“Banana is a great energy source because of its carbohydrate-rich content. One of its primary and most well-known elements is potassium, however, it is important to remember the vitamin content. Vitamin C plays a role in tissue growth and repair.
It also assists in taking iron that is essential for women who are pregnant. age. Additionally, the high levels of folate makes it the ideal choice for women planning for the birth of a child ” says Hernandez.
The contribution of vitamin B6 from the banana helps us in the synthesis of hemoglobin, is important in the transport of oxygen to our muscles, and facilitates the production of antibodies, necessary to fight diseases.
Its contribution to insoluble fiber, such as inulin, promotes intestinal movements and reduces the risk of diseases such as osteoporosis, obesity, or cancer.
Likewise, the banana plays a prominent role in children’s nutrition, since being one of the fruits that the little ones in the house like the most, it is usually well-received.
Also Read: Not only Extra Virgin: How to Choose the Right Olive Oil for Diet
Are green Bananas Good for Constipation?
Bananas if they are ripe are not indigestible. If, on the contrary, we take them unripe or green they can cause dyspepsia, regardless of the time of day they are eaten.
When consuming bananas, we must take into account that their excessive consumption can cause constipation, so, in case of suffering from this digestive problem, we must moderate its consumption.
Are green Bananas Good in Diet?
In some weight-loss diets, they advise not to eat bananas. “The reason is that it is a fruit with a higher energy intake than others, 112 kilocalories per 100 grams compared to the 52 kilocalories per 100 grams that an apple contains. However, this caloric intake does not justify that it should be withdrawn from the diet when our goal is to lose weight, so we can eat them calmly.
Are green Bananas Good for Diabetes?
Is the green bananas good for diabetes patients? Better if it is not ripe? The nutritionist believes that to answer this question we must first explain what the glycemic index (GI) is: “It is a measure of how quickly a food can raise blood sugar levels.
It is an important concept if we are diabetic, since either our body does not generate insulin, which ‘removes the sugar from the blood, and we have to administer it externally or it does not generate it in sufficient quantity and therefore we must give medication that ‘help to synthesize it”
The banana has a GI that ranges from 55 to 65 depending on whether we take it less or more ripe, compared, for example, to the pear that has around a GI of 37. For this reason, Hernández points out, “diabetics should take it from a more moderately in quantity and avoid being overripe or eating it together with other foods so as not to generate a spike in blood sugar, but this does not mean that if we suffer from diabetes we must eliminate it from our lives ”. check source
But with diabetes, green bananas are just much safer than yellow ones, because they are low in sugar, and resistant starch does not lead to a sharp increase in blood sugar.
But this does not mean that such a product is completely compatible with the diet of a patient with diabetes mellitus because we are still talking about carbohydrates.
In addition, diseases of the first and second types are accompanied by completely different diets, so the approach to products should be individual.
Important! Green bananas for diabetes can only be eaten with the direct permission of a doctor, in small quantities, and following strict medical guidelines.
For example, one of the properties of the starch contained in green bananas is the very long period that accompanies the excretion of this substance from the body. For a diabetic patient, this can be a serious problem.
Do Ripe Bananas Have More Potassium?
Potassium is a vitamin related to muscle contraction. This mineral is largely depleted by sweat during exercise, hence its need for replacement after physical activity, thus avoiding muscle cramps.
“Although the banana is reputed to be the fruit with the highest potassium content, the kiwi is on its heels and both blackcurrant and dates surpass it, with dates being the fruit that offers us the highest amount of potassium,” comparing 100 grams of both fruits”.
what are green bananas Benefits?
So, let’s take a look at the points of advantages of green bananas overripe ones.
Important! One banana contains almost the entire daily amount of potassium.
Green Banana For the Cardiovascular System
The benefits of unripe fruit for cardiovascular health are mostly determined by the high levels of potassium. Potassium plays a significant role in maintaining the heart rate. By lowering the blood pressure within the vessels this chemical element helps prevent hypertension, atherosclerosis, angina pectoris, and various conditions that are associated with diminished cardiac function.
Green Banana For the Digestive Tract
Green bananas are an excellent source of resistant starch. Likewise, when they are ripe, we consume sugar. The difference in these two substances to our intestines? We have already talked about it. Check Source
But that’s not all. The tropical fruit is rich in omega-3 polyunsaturated fats, which, in addition to their beneficial properties, have a positive influence on the creation of enzymes that are produced in the stomach and the intestines.
Additionally, there is another theory (not yet proven) which suggests that bananas with green skin help to prevent the development of stomach ulcers, but can also help to treat the illness.
The mechanism that heals is its pulp being absorbed inside the stomach neutralizes acid that is present and acts on the stomach’s wall as a soothing ointment creating mucus. This helps protect the stomach from the damaging and inflicting cuts (ulcers) actions of the acidic environment.
The active ingredients in green bananas trigger every metabolic function in the body. They accelerate stomach digestion and improve intestinal mobility. This is additionally supported by the fiber that is found in the fruit.
If dietary fiber helps prevent constipation and constipation, then green bananas are beneficial for diarrhea because they can prevent the riskiest result of this condition, which is dehydration. check source
Green Banana Benefits for Skin
Its Vitamin, as well as minerals in the fruit, is beneficial not just in the inner organs but also for our external appearance.
For keeping the skin healthy and elastic, apply this product for food or include it in different cosmetic products and masks, and has been a popular choice for well-known beauty experts.
Did you have any idea? Humanity is in danger of not having bananas anytime soon. At the start of the century of the 20th century, in the northeast region of South America, a specific kind of fungus known as “Panama Disease” first appeared.
It greatly agitated banana plantations across the globe and eliminated those that grew the Gros Michel variety, excellent for its flavor. The fungus’s mutation rate is faster than scientists can “invent” different varieties of the banana that are resistant to the disease. And the winner of the race is a matter of debate.
Green Banana During pregnancy
The mineral and vitamin composition of bananas makes them appealing to consume during pregnancy. Pregnant mothers need to take the prescribed dosage of folate as well as calcium, potassium, and mineral phosphorus.
However, all experimentation with food during this time is not recommended. Raw, green bananas could cause grave problems in the operation of the intestines. Expectant mother, You must be able to cook them properly.
Important! If before becoming pregnant the woman ate a lot of green bananas and is confident she can cook and select them, there aren’t any contraindications. However, if you choose to try a new product, it’s best to wait until a “safer” time.
Green Banana Nutrition Value & Calories
Fruits with a hard skin of green or grayish color are called “plane” or “plantain”. They are the most high-calorie among their relatives.
100 g of such a fruit contains 90-145 kcal, and after it reaches full ripeness (turns yellow), the calorie content greatly increases, reaching the range of 110-156 kcal.
In dessert varieties of fruit, the opposite pattern is observed: while the fruits have a green peel, their calorie content is kept at about 110 kcal per 100 g, but as they mature, the nutritional value decreases to 95 kcal.
The nutritional value of green banana is 21% carbohydrates (starch, mono- and disaccharides), 1.5% proteins, and 0.7% fats (and the percentage of saturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids in the product is approximately the same).
Approximately 74% of fruits are in the water, and just over 1.5% is dietary fiber (fiber).
The vitamin composition of the fruit does not depend on its color.
There are:
- vitamin A (retinol and beta-carotene);
- vitamin B1 (thiamine);
- vitamin B2 (riboflavin);
- vitamin B3 (nicotinic acid);
- vitamin B4 (choline);
- vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid);
- vitamin B6 (pyridoxine);
- vitamin B9 (folic acid);
- vitamin C (ascorbic acid);
- vitamin E (tocopherol);
- vitamin K.
- Among the minerals that bananas are rich in, first of all, macroelements should be called: check the source
- potassium – 348 mg;
- magnesium – 42 mg;
- sodium – 31 mg;
- phosphorus – 28 mg;
- calcium – 8 mg.
- There are also some trace elements in the pulp – fluorine, selenium, iron, manganese, and zinc. Essential amino acids are also very important in the composition of the fruit. – lysine, methionine, tryptophan.