Green Bananas : Nutrition Facts and Health Benefits

Banana is a fruit that stays in fruit baskets of almost every household. Not many fruits enjoy such a huge fan following. Green bananas are not as common as yellow or ripe bananas but offer similar health advantages. They have a little different texture, composition, and taste. They taste delicious when boiled, fried, and sautéed form. They are a great addition to gravies or curries and make them a lot healthier and tastier. Their unique and rich nutritional profile offers numerous health benefits.

They have a high amount of fiber and starch that makes them ideal to incorporate in a weight loss and diabetes diet. Free from gluten, thus fruit is beneficial for patients with celiac disease. Its metabolism-boosting properties make it a natural remedy to treat constipation and IBS. In this article, we will learn about the benefits of a green banana in detail.

About Green Bananas

Green banana or kacha kela is a powerhouse of nutrients. It is relished in all parts of the world. As it gets slowly absorbed in the body, it releases sugar at a slow pace in the blood. This makes it a diabetic-friendly food.

This exotic fruit is a healthy choice for all age groups. Their high fiber content is effective in treating digestive troubles in the body. The presence of potassium helps regulate blood pressure levels in the body.

Green banana contains several essential minerals and vitamins needed for the proper functioning of the body. They are a potent source of pectin. This high amount of dietary fiber is responsible for maintaining its structure. Pectin metabolizes when a banana overripens and become mushy and soft. This along with resistant starch offer numerous health benefits that include better digestive health and blood sugar control in the body.

Nutritional Value Of Unripe Banana

100 grams of medium-sized green banana provides the following nutrition:

Carbohydrates : 22.84 grams

Choline : 9.8 milligrams

Energy : 89 kcal

Fat : 0.33 grams

Dietary fiber : 2.6 grams

Folate (B9) : 20 μg

Iron : 0.26 milligrams

Magnesium : 27 milligrams

Niacin : 0.665 milligrams

Manganese : 0.27 milligrams

Vitamin B5 : 0.334 milligrams

Potassium : 358 milligrams

Protein : 1.09 grams

Phosphorus : 22 milligrams

Vitamin B2 : 0.073 milligrams

Sodium : 1 milligrams

Sugars : 12.23 grams

Vitamin B1 : 0.031 milligrams

Vitamin B6 : 0.4 milligrams

Vitamin C : 8.7 milligrams

Zinc : 0.15 m milligrams g

How Does Green Banana Differ From A Yellow Banana?

The basic difference between a yellow and a green banana is its texture, taste, and color.

• As a result of ripening, the color of its skin changes from green to yellow.
• Yellow bananas are sweet whereas green bananas are a little bitter in taste.
• Yellow bananas are mushy as they are ripe. As opposed to it, green bananas have a firm texture.
• Furthermore, green bananas are difficult to peel, whereas it is quite easy to remove the skin of ripe bananas.
• The glycaemic index defines how fast foods increase blood glucose levels after consumption. The scale ranges from 0 to 100. Foods with low GI value are helpful to control blood sugar levels in the body.

A green banana has a GI value of 30 where it is 60 in the case of a yellow banana. Anything more than 55 is considered to be a high GI food. This makes unripe banana is a low GI food. It has slow-digesting complex carbs that make it an ideal food choice for diabetics.

There is also a slight difference in their composition. Green bananas are high in resistant starch and fiber that form 70% to 80% of their weight. The resistant starch is not digested in the gut. Therefore, it is called dietary fiber. When the banana ripens, they lose their starch.

It gets transformed into simple sugars (sucrose, fructose, and glucose). This sugar gets quickly digested in the body and leads to a sudden increase in the blood sugar levels in the body. It is interesting to see that the yellow banana has only 1% starch.

Health Benefits Of Green Bananas

Green Bananas are high in fiber, and pectin that offers a broad array of health benefits to a person. Let us learn more about them.

1. Manage Cholesterol Levels

Raw bananas are a potent source of resistant starch. This type of starch is not completely metabolized and absorbed by the body during digestion. It gets converted into short-chain fatty acids by bacteria present in the gut. In this way, it helps manage cholesterol levels in the body.

2. Better Digestive Health

Green banana is an effective remedy to cure digestive issues in the body. It has resistant starch that is composed of complex carbs. It gets broken in the gut. This fiber works as a prebiotic for bacteria that live in the intestine.

The high content of the starch in the fruit is useful to treat gastrointestinal issues such as constipation, bloating, IBS, etc. The nutrient bulks up the stool and normalizes bowel movements. Due to this action, it also helps reduce the development of colon cancer in the body.

3. Lower Blood Sugar Levels

Raw bananas have got a low amount of sugar content in it. It has a glycaemic index of 30 (below 55) that makes it a low glycaemic food. Eating low GI foods helps manage blood glucose levels. It digests, absorbs, and metabolizes at a slow pace in the body.

It doesn’t lead to any sudden increase in blood glucose levels. Green bananas control blood sugar levels that result in improved insulin metabolism. In this way, it saves you from the chances of metabolic disorders and diabetes.

Raw bananas also have more amounts of dietary fibers that stay in the stomach for a longer time and release sugar slowly in the blood. Due to these properties, green bananas are a highly suggested nutrient in diabetes.

4. Loaded With Fibre

Around 100 grams of green banana has 2.6 g of fiber. It adds bulk to your stool and helps regularize bowel movements. In this way, it facilitates digestion in the body. Fiber also helps maintain the healthy levels of cholesterol and glucose levels in the blood. In this way, it reduces the possibilities of heart attack and stroke. This high fiber content eases conditions like IBS.

5. Assist in Weight Management

Green bananas are a wholesome filling snack. It keeps your hunger at bay. It has high pectin content and fiber that fills the stomach and increases fullness in the stomach. It prevents overeating and intake of excess calories that contribute to weight gain in the body.

The high dietary fiber reduces the chances of obesity. Pectin delays gastric emptying and also enhances satiety in people. It lowers hunger and aids in glucose homeostasis in a person. It is linked with low amounts of the hunger regulating hormone “ghrelin”.

Green banana flour prevents inflammation. It enhances lipid profile and body composition in the body. The presence of resistant starch blocks the excess consumption of carbs in the body. In this way, it promotes healthy weight reduction in the body.

6. Improves Cardiovascular Health

Cardiovascular diseases are defined as metabolic disorders. Some of its examples are obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Raw bananas are loaded with resistant starch that reduces sugar and cholesterol levels in the body. In this way, it reduces the chances of these ailments in the body.

7. Reduce Blood Pressure Levels

Green bananas are a good source of a vital mineral “potassium” that ensures better mobility of muscles, proper operation of nerves, and filtration of blood by the kidneys. It works as a vasodilator that reduces the tension or strain on the blood vessels and arteries.

It helps maintain healthy levels of blood pressure in the body. A single cup of boiled fruit provides 531 milligrams of potassium. It plays an important role in the proper functioning of kidneys in the body.

8. Excellent Source Of Vitamins

The unripe banana is a storehouse of health-beneficial minerals and vitamins, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and short-chain fatty acids that enable the assimilation of essential minerals, mainly calcium in the body. Better absorption of nutrients boosts colon health.

9. Promote Development of Probiotic Bacteria

Probiotic bacteria are beneficial for promoting intestinal health. Unripe bananas are among those foods that enable the growth of gut-friendly bacteria. These bacteria stay in the intestines, and aids in the digestion of food. The fruit also has plenty of resistant starch that promotes easy and smooth bowel movements in the body. Together, they help you achieve a healthy stomach and digestive tract.

10. Effective In Diarrhoea

Diarrhea can be caused due to bacterial, parasitic, or viral infection.  Green bananas are therapeutic in people who suffer from periodic diarrhea. When you eat them, the beneficial compounds contained in it help fight off the germs caused due to the infection.  They are highly active against mucosal lesions in the stomach that makes them beneficial for both diarrhea and constipation.

Unripe bananas also help eliminate the signs of diarrhea that include headache, nausea, stomach cramps, fatigue, etc. It is important to note that always cook them before consuming them.

11. Improve Metabolism

Crude bananas have vital minerals and nutrients that optimize metabolism in the body. It provides a good base of stable, and complex carbs. These bananas accelerate the process of calorie burn calories in the body. This, in turn, stimulates metabolism in the body.

The intestinal bacteria ferment fiber and produce short-chain fatty acids. These acids boost digestive ailments in the body. Unripe bananas help maintain the right level of healthy bacteria in the gut. It stimulates the secretion of short-chain fatty acids that promotes digestive health.

Frequently Asked Questions About Green Banana

1. Can Green Bananas Be Unhealthy For Your Body?

Generally, green bananas are healthy. They are high in pectin, and resistant starch that enhances digestive health, reduce blood glucose levels, and curbs frequent hunger bouts. Due to the high amount of dietary fiber, some people come across abdominal discomfort when they consume them. It can lead to gas, constipation, and bloating.

Moreover, people who are allergic to latex should not eat green bananas. This fruit has proteins that resemble the proteins present in latex. They may cause allergic reactions in people who suffer from a latex allergy.

2. How To Incorporate Green Bananas In The Diet?

As green bananas are crude, they are difficult to peel and absorb their nutrients. You need to cook it / process it to absorb its nutrients. You can steam, boil, stir-fry, or deep fry it to enjoy its yummy taste. You can even use it in your salads, dips, or as a stuffing ingredient. In southern parts of India, people eat them in the form of chips.

Some people use the flour of green banana to prepare pasta. You can also consume them in the form of yogurt and smoothies. When coated with dark chocolate and frozen, they make a delicious dessert.

3. How many carbs are there in Green Banana?

Green bananas have high amounts of carbs in the form of fiber and resistant starch.

4. Are green bananas difficult to digest?

Yes. As they have a high amount of resistant starch, they are harder to digest by the body. When consumed in recommended amounts, the gut-friendly bacteria can digest them without any issues. Hence, green bananas are safe to eat.

5. Are green bananas beneficial in the treatment of anemia?

An average green banana has 0.26 mg of iron. It also has good amounts of Vitamin C and Vitamin B6 that aids in the absorption of iron in the body.

6. Does eating green banana causes constipation?

When eaten in limited amounts, they help cure constipation and regularize stool movement. However, people who have a weaker digestive system may find it hard to digest these complex starches. Also, you should avoid consuming green banana in excess as high fiber can pose risks of digestive troubles in the body.

7. For how long can you preserve green bananas?

It takes around three to five days for green bananas to ripen.

8. What is the sugar content in a medium-sized green banana?

An average green banana has around twelve grams of sugar. A majority of it comprises starch.

9. How many green bananas are safe to be eaten per day?

Moderation is important in anything you eat. The same is the case with green bananas.  You can eat one or two bananas per day. However, diabetics should consult a doctor before they include them in the diet.

10. What benefits can you obtain by consuming boiled green bananas?

The boiled form of green bananas has a high amount of resistant starch. This type of starch aids in digestion. Boiling breaks down the complex carbs in the body and makes them easy to metabolize.

11. Is green banana good for diabetics?

Green Bananas have glycemic index (GI) of about 30 to 50. Green Bananas also contain resistant starch that are known for not increasing blood sugar levels. Infact, they help in blood sugar management in long run. Green bananas are gut-microbe friendly and by eating them you can keep your blood sugar under control.

Conclusion

Green bananas have plenty of health-boosting nutrients that offer valuable benefits to a person. The rich amounts of prebiotic fiber help maintain the right balance of intestinal bacteria in the body. Its regular consumption regularizes your bowels.

Green bananas are beneficial in diabetes. Their low GI index, high resistant starch, and high fiber remarkably reduce cholesterol levels and glucose in the blood. To reap these benefits, begin replacing ripe bananas with green bananas in your diet.