Banana is a favourite for most people. When you pair it with fresh groundnuts, you have yourself a treat that nothing compares to. Banana is one sweet fruit people like to enjoy as often as they can. Not only is it sweet, but very nutritious as well. When people buy bananas, they buy them already ripe, or if it is unripe, they leave them to ripen properly. But what happens when you eat unripe bananas? Is it even safe to eat? And what are the health benefits of unripe bananas? This article will provide answers to these questions.
Like unripe plantain, unripe bananas can also be enjoyed as they are perfectly safe for eating. You either have to fry or boil them to be able to enjoy them. Unripe bananas are not sweet like ripe bananas. In fact, they have no taste, and you may have to salt them before frying, just to give them a bit of taste. Also, unripe bananas are firmer than ripe bananas. Furthermore, unripe bananas are higher in starches because as bananas ripen and turn yellow, the starches transform into sugars. Hence, unripe bananas have lower sugar content than ripe bananas.
Still, besides their lack of taste, unripe bananas are rich in nutrients, even more nutrients than the ripe type. Some of the nutrients in unripe banana include carbohydrates, iron, magnesium, potassium, Vitamin B6, copper, phosphorous, zinc, manganese, and even fibre. All of these nutrients make unripe bananas a very healthy food with a lot of benefits to the body.
In this article, we would be looking at some of the health benefits unripe bananas have on the body.
Health Benefits of Unripe Bananas
Unripe bananas are different from ripe bananas in texture, colour, and content. Below are some of the health benefits of unripe bananas:
1. Promotes Healthy Digestion
The fibre content in unripe bananas helps promote healthy digestion. This prevents constipation, irregular bowel movements, bloating, and other forms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Fibre also adds bulk to stool, making it easier to pass out waste.
Furthermore, unripe bananas are good prebiotic foods. That means they feed the healthy bacteria in your gut and improve your digestive system.
2. Regulate Blood Pressure
Unripe plantain is very rich in potassium, a mineral that helps to regulate blood pressure. People who have high blood pressure can include unripe plantain in their diet to reduce the risk of hypertension and more serious conditions like stroke or even heart attacks.
3. Good For The Kidneys
The potassium in bananas also promotes the proper functioning of the kidneys. This would help prevent kidney problems like chronic kidney disease and even kidney cancer. Bananas may be a particularly helpful in preventing kidney stones, because they are rich in potassium, vitamin B6 and magnesium and low in oxalates. Studies have shown that consuming a banana per day can help reduce the likelihood of developing kidney problems.
4. Regulates Blood Sugar
People with diabetes would find unripe bananas very good for them. This is because it is not sweet, as it contains less sugar. It also has a low glycemic index (GI). Foods with a low GI are good because they do not cause a sharp spike or sudden increase in blood sugar levels. There are also studies that show that unripe bananas may affect insulin sensitivity, which would improve the way your body reacts to it. Unripe bananas have a glycemic index of 30, while ripe bananas have a GI of around 60.
In addition, unripe bananas are high in pectin and resistant starch, which may help control blood sugar after meals.
5. Makes You Feel Fuller
Eating unripe bananas would satisfy you more than eating regular ripe bananas. This is because unripe bananas have a high fibre content. The types of fibre found in unripe bananas are resistant starch and pectin, which have been shown to induce the feeling of fullness after eating them. The good thing about unripe bananas is that they have low calories, meaning even though you get to feel full, your body does not take in more calories than needed.
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Collins Nwokolo is a human physiologist, writer and health enthusiast. He loves writing helpful articles on health and fitness, which he enjoys sharing with everyone.
