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Cherished across the world for their delectable taste, bananas find application in a range of culinary creations, including desserts, smoothies, and savoury snacks. Broadly, two main types of bananas are typically eaten: ripe yellow bananas and their unripe cousins, green bananas. Both of these banana types are quite nutritious, being loaded with essential nutrients and minerals, including potassium.
Most people prefer eating yellow bananas, as they are sweeter in taste and sturdier in texture compared to green bananas. On the other hand, green bananas contain less sugar content than yellow bananas, which could potentially make them advantageous to people with high blood sugar levels. Despite being less ripe than yellow bananas, green bananas are also completely safe to consume.
Read about the health benefits of eating green bananas here
Support Heart Health
According to an article entitled “Health Benefits of Green Banana Consumption: A Systematic Review,” published in the journal Nutrients, green bananas are a rich source of potassium. Potassium helps regulate blood pressure by stabilising cholesterol levels, thus, guarding against cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and heart attacks. Potassium also helps maintain a steady heartbeat.
Aid Digestion
Green bananas are abundant sources of starch and pectin, both of which produce a prebiotic effect in the gut. This means that they replenish the healthy bacteria within the gut, which aids several digestive functions, including maintaining gut health. Eating green bananas also helps relieve conditions like acidity and constipation.
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Help Manage Weight
Green bananas are quite satisfying, as they are teeming with dietary fibre. Once eaten, fibre produces a feeling of fullness within the body. As a result, unnecessary hunger pangs are suppressed, and therefore, the total amount of calorie intake is reduced as well. That’s why green bananas are frequently recommended in weight loss or weight management plans.
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Regularise Blood Sugar Levels
Per the research “International Tables of Glycemic Index and Glycemic Load Values: 2008,” published in the journal Diabetes Care by the American Diabetes Association, green bananas have a low glycemic index of 30. This means that they may help keep blood sugar levels in check, especially after meals. Pectin and resistant starch found in green bananas have also been found to have a similar effect.
Boost Immunity
Green bananas are rife with antioxidants as well as vitamin C, both of which serve as anti-inflammatory agents. These vital nutrients help combat cancer-causing free radicals by bringing down inflammation levels within the body and reducing oxidative stress on the cells. In this way, consuming green bananas could potentially reduce the threat of contracting cancer and other chronic illnesses.
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Accelerate Energy Levels
Green bananas are a potent source of sustained energy; they preserve energy in the cells for longer periods and release it in bursts as needed. This is one of the big reasons why athletes tend to snack on bananas in between games and during high-intensity workouts. It is also recommended to eat a banana for breakfast because it can energise you to face the day.
