When is a banana best to eat? The health benefits of each color including which has the most antioxidants
You had me at yellow.Americans, on average, eat nearly 27 pounds of fresh bananas each year, making the elongated berry the most commonly consumed fresh fruit in the US.There are many reasons to go bananas for bananas — they are a great source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure, they contain fiber, which aids in digestion, and they boast natural carbohydrates the body uses for energy.But not all bananas are nutritionally equal.They go through seven stages of ripeness — from solid green to yellow with brown spots. Here’s a look at the health benefits of each phase.
Some might say this shift is bananas.“Green bananas contain a relatively high amount of resistant starch,” Stephanie Schiff, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Northwell Huntington Hospital, told The Post.“This is a type of fiber that takes longer for the body to digest and doesn’t spike blood sugar as quickly or severely as a ripe banana would.” Resistant starch travels to the large intestine, where gut bacteria ferment it.The resulting short-chain fatty acids can help balance the gut microbiome and reduce inflammation.Because they are high in fiber and resistant starch, green bananas help with hunger control.“The greener the banana, the better for your health,” Schiff said.
“But it’s going to taste more bitter and grainy, so I don’t eat them when they’re completely green.”As bananas ripen, the green chlorophyll pigment breaks down, letting the yellow xanthophyll pigments become more visible.The banana’s starches also transform into simple sugars, making it taste sweeter.UK surgeon Karan Rangarajan, also known as Dr.Karan Rajan, described the barely ripe Stage 2 banana as a “balanced king” because of its high fiber and low sugar levels.“You also get a little potassium boost as more of it becomes bioavailable due to decreases in fiber and resistant starch,” he said in a February TikTok.
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