Bananas are one of the world’s most popular fruits. Runners love them for their potassium and mother’s love them for their tendency to plug up a child stricken with diarrhea. So do they keep you on the go, or keep you from going?
Well, both!
It depends on what stage of ripening you eat the banana in which determines how the banana will behave in your body.
When a banana is picked for the grocery store, it is picked and shipped green (unripe). In this stage the banana is comprised of a type of resistant starch for which the human body lacks the enzyme to break down. This banana (#1-5) will plug you up. Plus it has that awful “dry” texture that makes you (or is it just me?) want to spit it out.
Isn’t it interesting to know that the word “starch” is derived from Middle English sterchen, meaning to stiffen. Um, hello. Stiff bowels are NOT good.
Stages of Bananas Ripening
Most whole starches like potatoes, grains, squashes, and legumes require cooking for palatability and digestabilibty. Can you imagine eating a raw, uncooked potato? Eating an unripe banana may taste better, but it’s very similar in starch content. If you like your bananas green or yellow, it might be wise to cook them first.
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After a banana ripens it turns yellow and starts to show brown spots: speckles, freckles, & smudges (#7). The resistant starch has turned to sugar which is now fuel that is ready & waiting to be used your body. Banana #6 is ok (no green) but #7 is better.
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By the way, corn does the same thing. Unripe corn will bind you up, ripe corn will provide immediate fuel. Unfortunately it’s not as obvious when corn is ripe as when bananas are ripe. A bit of quick research about corn tells that waiting until the corn tassels are brown & dry and if the kernel, when pricked, exudes a bit of “milk” then the corn is ripe.
Bananas are awesome! They are available year around. One medium size ripe banana has 89 calories and is comprised of 93% carbohydrate, 4% protein and 3% fat.
Make sure all your future bananas feature some brown spots. But don’t wait until they are mushy. Now you know why I eat upwards of 6 bananas a day: once they are the perfect ripeness, they need to be consumed ASAP before spoiling. Or peel them and freeze them for banana nice cream!
Organic bananas are about 10-20 cents more per pound than conventional. Bananas are not on the EWG Dirty Dozen list because you don’t eat the peel. I buy organic when they are available, but I don’t hesitate to buy conventional when organic is sold out. Often when I buy a case of bananas at a time, only conventional are available in this quantity. Be sure to check your “over-ripe fruit” quick sale shelf for perfectly ripe and ready to eat bananas!
PS – If you want to speed up or slow down the bananas ripening process, there are some good tips here.
Additional Resources
• Banana Nice Cream for Breakfast!
• Banana “Nice Cream” & Matcha Tea Affogato
• Banana Oatmeal Cookies: No Sugar, No Wheat, No Butter, No Eggs!
• How to Eat a Banana with a Spoon
• Thriving with Superfoods – yes, a banana is a superfood!
{ 21 comments… read them below or add one }
I read this with much interest Carla. For you see, I have an intolerance to bananas!!! (omg… and I love them so much!). Sometimes I miss them so much I can’t resist having one – or at least half of one, but alas it means within half an hour to an hour later I am getting pretty ill with stabbing stomach pains, nausea, mouth ulcers – the works!!! Takes me about two days to recover! I have numerous food intolerances and allergies, and a fructose intolerance, so most fruits are not great for me. But its the reaction to bananas that offends me the most as it is my very favourite fruit. Thanks for a great article as always! Very interesting!
So sorry to learn that you have an intolerance for the amazing banana Cyndi! I can not imagine not being able to eat one of my most favorite, easily acquired and affordable fruits. I wonder if you pair it with papaya or pineapple if the strong fruit enzymes will help digest the banana. Best to you Cyndi. Thank you for reading & commenting! 🙂
Oh no, Carla! I like ’em best at stage 5! But your comment about “stiff bowels are NOT good” amuses me no end!
Great information. Thanks!
Pam Hirsch recently posted..Why You MUST Learn to Manage Your Website
Your future bananas need a few more freckles, Pam, for all that good fruit sugar to serve you well. Thanks for popping over and leaving a comment! 🙂
I have always loved my bananas at stage 4. I guess I will have to go for 7. Loved all the information you provided. Bananas are soooo good!
Yay Sally! Let me know if you notice a difference.
Carla Golden recently posted..Golden Touch Massage Therapy Has Gone Coconuts!
I love mine at 4-5. It’s the mouth texture. At 7, they are too mushy and yucky! I usually save those for smoothies. Do you think if I haven’t had problems with 4-5, they would be okay? I’ve never had a problem with being plugged up in my entire life! But I’m guessing that it is more than that??
See if you can get them to just a 6…just as all the green disappears. They’ll probably give you more fuel for an energetic day. Smart to use your really ripe ones for smoothies. They freeze well too…peel first.
Carla Golden recently posted..Healing Old Emotional Trauma with Food
Carla – I love bananas but more toward the 5 side. I have read recently that they spike your sugar and make you gain weight. Is this true? I would typically eat one in the morning with a glass of grapefruit juice. Since going gluten free I’ve been having big issues with bouts of extreme hunger and have gain weight. It almost seems like my sugar levels are all over the place although I eat very healthy and not much.
Hi Laurel! Try to make sure your bananas are at least a 6 – no green. They will digest better. All fruit has natural sugar (fructose) which can elevate blood sugar however eaten as a whole fruit, the fruit’s fiber titrates the absorption of the sugar. It’s hard to pin-point based on what you’ve told me why you’re hungry, gaining weight and feeling like your blood sugar is not steady. Would you be willing to keep a food diary for a week and share it with me? It’s usually not one food, but a combination of foods that creates issues. I’d love to help you solve this. Best, Carla.
Hi.
Actually green bananas are high in resistant starch, which feeds good bacteria in the gut. If they block you up, it’s probably a sign that you lack the bacteria that feed off the starch, such as bifidobacterium.
🙂
I have the opinion that unripe fruit is unnatural to eat.
Love this web site!
Wondering about your thoughts on ungassed bananas~ I don’t have access to organic~ but buy the ungassed ~ and think they taste amazing, but haven’t come across real information to help me understand gas versus ungassed? I eat them at 7, too!
Where do you live Stephanie? I’ve never seen bananas sold gassed or ungassed here in South Carolina.
I’m in Florida… Shopping at a military grocery store. I’ll see if the guys in produce can find an answer for me, lol!
I was really surprised that a quick google didn’t help me out.
Stephanie recently posted..Left-Handed Problems
http://icepricessa.hubpages.com/hub/Banana-Facts
Found this link!
Stephanie recently posted..Left-Handed Problems
Interesting info! Thanks Stephanie!
Carla Golden recently posted..Why Am I Running a Marathon?
Well, now I’m confused. Dr. Alan Christianson recommends eating only GREEN bananas on his adrenal reset diet? I usually don’t eat many at all but am trying go from vegetarian to vegan and want to add them for creaminess =).
I can’t account for Dr. Christianson’s recommendation for eating green bananas other than maybe he wants you to eat raw starch instead of sourcing glucose fuel from the fruit. Raw starch will constipate, that’s why we usually cook starches (think grains and legumes) to predigest them.
I would redirect you to Dr. McDougall for healing your adrenal glands without animal meat, dairy, or eggs which are scientifically established to cause many human chronic diseases. Also caffeine, alcohol, and stress will exhaust your adrenals.
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I had read that it makes a difference when you eat a banana. When I used to eat them for breakfast would get bad tummy aches, and found when researching this that breakfast was a bad time to eat a banana. I like mine with spots, and enjoy them early in the evening.
Interesting! Thanks for sharing your finding Kate!