Young bananas are preferred
Good question! In this section PlusOnline searches for answers to frequently asked questions. This time: which banana is healthier, a young one or a ripe one?
Bananas are generally very healthy, but a young banana is slightly healthier and therefore a better choice. Ripe bananas naturally contain more (fruit) sugar. You can taste that too: if you leave a banana a little longer, it tastes sweeter. This is because enzymes convert the starch in the banana into fruit sugar.
And yet there is also much positive to say about ripe bananas. The fruit sugar makes it easier for your intestines to absorb the banana, for example. The more mature variant also contains – according to a Japanese study – more antioxidants (such as vitamins C and E) that protect cells and tissues against harmful substances. Yet young bananas provide more health benefits than mature bananas. This has to do with resistant starch.
Resistant Starch
Resistant starch plays an important role in the benefits of young bananas. Young bananas contain more resistant starch than ripe bananas. This type of starch causes the blood sugar level to rise less quickly than normal starch, so that you do not suffer from a sugar peak. Unlike normal starch that behaves like sugar, resistant starch is considered dietary fiber that cannot be digested by the small intestine. This allows it to arrive intact in the large intestine, which is good for your digestion and the bacteria in your intestines. You also feel full for longer and you run less risk of (serious) diseases such as type 2 diabetes and colorectal cancer.
The pros and cons of young bananas
Let’s take a look at the advantages and disadvantages of young bananas.
The advantages
- Naturally contain less fruit sugar.
- Ensures a long feeling of fullness, without a sugar peak.
- Are good for your digestion and gut bacteria (also called: microbiome).
- Reduce the risks of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and colon cancer.
The cons
- Contain fewer antioxidants than (over)ripe bananas.
The pros and cons of (over)ripe bananas
And then the pros and cons of riper bananas.
The advantages
- They taste sweeter, so many people like them better.
- Contain more antioxidants than young bananas.
- Your intestines can absorb a riper banana more easily because of the fruit sugar.
- Suitable for athletes because of the amount of (easily digestible) carbohydrates.
The cons
- Naturally contain more fruit sugar.
Which banana do you choose?
In short: bananas are healthy, but young bananas are preferred. Because they contain less sugar, but mainly because of all the health benefits mentioned above. But if you only go for taste, you will probably like a riper banana better than a young banana. And sometimes you don’t have a choice, because then you just feel like a banana and you’re just too early or too late…
Do you also have a good question? Send us an email.
Sources):
