If you love to grab a banana in the morning as you walk out of the house for work or a quick workout then this article will be of great importance to you. Bananas are a great source of potassium, anti-oxidants, B vitamins, magnesium, Vitamin C, Biotin, and Fiber. Bananas are excellent for cardiovascular health, and the digestive tract, and are a great “first food” for young infants.
The next time you pick up a banana to eat you may want to keep a few key important factors in mind. The nutritional properties of bananas change as they ripen. Have you noticed that a banana gets sweeter as it ripens? This occurs as the enzymes contained in bananas progressively break down the starch (a polymeric form of sugar that does not have a sweet taste). As the banana ripens or gets brown, the starch has already transformed into a simple sugar, which makes the banana much easier to digest, especially for those who have irritable bowel disease or abdominal bloating. However, if you are a Type 2 Diabetic, you might want to avoid brown bananas, as the broken-down simple sugar can cause a spike in blood sugar levels.
According to a Japanese study, published in a 2009 issue of “Food Science and Technology Research”, the brown spots on bananas produce a substance called Tumor Necrosis Factor (TNF), which breaks down abnormal cells including those that cause cancer. According to their research, as the banana ripens it produces more anti-oxidants and more anti-cancer properties. The darker spots it has the better the anti-cancer properties are. Also, the researchers concluded that a banana with yellow skin and dark spots is 8 times more effective in boosting the body’s immune system than a banana with green skin. Therefore, the best time to eat the banana is when it is fully ripened.
