A day late and the banana brown has already – most of the time you buy a banana tree in a green color, but a few days later, she turns to a bright yellow fruit and small brown dots on the shell.
But in what stage of ripening the banana is the healthiest and provides the most vital substances?
So healthy the banana is
Bananas have many positive effects on the body. They are rich in minerals such as potassium, which is needed by the cells of the body.
However, as a magnesium supplier and the yellow fruit is ideal, and thus contributes to the energy metabolism of the muscles and nerve cells.
At the same time, bananas are rich in fiber, which have a positive effect on the intestinal motility and digestion.
Particularly among athletes, the fruit is a favorite companion – a hard workout is in need of a quick energy supplier.
However, as the banana can meet all of these benefits at the same time? Therotisch this is not possible. The benefits of a banana are governed entirely according to their state of Maturation.
Whereas a green banana is particularly rich in starch (dietary fiber), and potassium is the banana with brown shell as a fast energy supplier, because of the sugar content with ripening, is strongly increasing.
A study from Indonesia shows that during the maturation process, the ingredients of the banana will change and the fruit, therefore, each of the various Benefits it delivers.
However, when the banana provides now what are the Contents and demolition waste in abundant quantity?
1. The green and unripe banana
Rich in starch
Strength is the most important source of energy for the human body, because it provides long term energy you need for daily life, but also during sporting activities.
Starch is made up of many linked glucose molecules, which are absorbed mainly through food, such as potatoes or noodles.
But also green, i.e., unripe bananas show a high percentage of starch, in relation to other ripening stages.
The recorded strength can only be slowly degraded from the small intestine, so that only one step is made glucose in the blood. The advantage of this is that the blood sugar level rises slowly and you will feel, thus, no longer saturated.
The ratio of sugars (fructose and glucose), a green banana is very difficult and do not provide quick energy for the body.
Especially for diabetics, green banana are an optimum Alternative, because the blood sugar level increases only in regular intervals.
Promote digestion
Feeding the intestinal bacteria: the Green bananas are substances, in contrast to the yellow bananas are rich in fiber. This can not digest in the small intestine, so they reach the large intestine and by intestinal bacteria reduced.
In order to stimulate directly the growth of the bacteria in the colon and stimulate the entire intestinal flora. At the same time, the high proportion of dietary fiber ensures a stronger feeling of satiety, as they result in increased gastric filling – perfect to bridge the time between meals.
Rich Source Of Potassium
A unripe banana has a three times as high Potassium level as a fully Mature banana, and is thus the optimal source of Potassium. Potassium is an electrolyte that is located primarily in the cells of the muscles.
It is active for the exchange of nerve impulses responsible and, therefore, support muscle contraction, heart function and blood pressure Regulation. At the same time, it supports the formation of proteins and glycogen and is involved in the process of muscle growth significantly.
2. The yellow and semi-ripe banana
Rich in Magnesium
Magnesium is probably the most interesting nutrient for athletes – within the maturation process, the magnesium content is marked with yellow bananas the most, but in all stadiums.
The nutrient is particularly involved in the energy metabolism of muscle and nerve function and is, therefore, the muscle contraction is important.
A lack of Magnesium is, on occur in the Affected increased spasms in the muscles. At the same time Magnesium supports the formation of bones and teeth and provides more stability.
Maturation phase with the highest protein content
Of course bananas are not for its high protein content is known – but the already-mentioned study by the Indonesian researchers showed that the color of the banana will determine the respective protein content of the fruit.
This showed that a green banana has the lowest proportion of proteins, but a much higher water content.
A banana with a strong yellow coloring has a two percent higher proportion of proteins than the green banana, but it makes you a strong protein bomb.
3. The brownish, super ripe banana
Faster Energy Supplier
The first brown spots are visible on the shell, but the power of the banana, especially for the athlete to an appropriate Snack.
Fully matured bananas show the highest proportion of simple sugars (fructose and glucose) that can be easily of the small intestine and into the bloodstream is released to be mined.
In order for quick energy reserves in the body, which can particularly affect short-term actions, positive and early fatigue prevent.
For long training sessions, however, should be filled by the energy reserves, there’s a simpler sugar is only a short, but quick energy supplier.
Also, after the workout, a brownish banana is beneficial because it can fill up the glucose memory quickly, and thus an optimal Regeneration ensures – in addition, it tastes in this state, especially sweet.
But a word of caution: For diabetics is not suitable for the brownish banana, as it causes a rapid rise in blood sugar levels.
Easy to digest
In the last Phase of maturation, the Starch content is very low, so that the proportion of long-chain glucose molecules is significantly lower. Therefore, the need to make the small intestine less work, the individual molecules are split.
The banana is easier to digest and relieves the digestion, in contrast to the green banana.
In this state, the banana is very sweet and is suitable for sweet recipes, but that should not be the reason for the consumption of the brownish banana.
The choice of the banana can be oriented according to the individual objectives, because for the body nutrients are more important than the taste.
Why turns the banana?
Usually one buys the banana in a green color, because you want to hold on to for as long as possible. In this Phase of maturation, one speaks of an immature fruit.
Depending on the storage and the room temperature becomes coloured after a few days slowly and in a yellow color. In order to has reached its half-ripe. By the way: Even faster ripening bananas, if they are stored next to Apples. Because Apples give off the Gas ethylene, which accelerate the maturation extremely.
With the first brown Spots the banana is in your full maturation. With the color, the consistency of the banana will change, as the shell becomes increasingly thin and the whole fruit is soft.
Sources
- International Conference on Agriculture Postharvest Handling and Processing (2007): Effect of Ripening Degree on the Quality of the Intermediate Product, Banana Flour cv Nangka, retrieved on 06.03.2020 https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/309/1/012007
- German society for nutrition (2016): Selected questions and responses to potassium, archived from the original on 06.03.2020 https://www.dge.de/wissenschaft/weitere-publikationen/faqs/kalium/
- Consumer Central (2019) : Magnesium – what to consider?, archived from the original on 06.03.2020 https://www.verbraucherzentrale.de/wissen/lebensmittel/nahrungsergaenzungsmittel/magnesium-was-ist-zu-beachten-8003
- German society for nutrition e. V. (2001): Small nutritional value table (p. 44-45), retrieved on 06.03.2020
Michelle Steinmetz
*The contribution of “Mature or immature: what are the bananas the healthiest published?” is of FitForFun. Contact with the executives here.