Which Stage Of Ripeness Is Healthiest For Bananas?

Did you know unripe bananas can have a small laxative effect?

I do, but not because I’m an expert on the fruit. I just really, really like green-tinted bananas ― life’s the best teacher, I suppose.

As bananas ripen, they become sweeter, too. That’s partly why they’re preferred for banana bread.

But according to gastrointestinal (GI) surgeon and author Dr Karan Rajan, there’s more variation in the food’s health benefits than you’d expect.

In a recent TikTok, he shared: “If you’re eating a banana… each stage offers a completely different nutritional profile.”

Which stage of banana ripeness is healthiest?

It depends on what your goals are.

In their green stage, Dr Rajan says, bananas are packed with resistant starches that work as a prebiotic (food for the healthy bacteria in our gut).

A 2021 study found that the resistant starch which is most present in the least ripe bananas can help to improve our microbiome.

Green bananas are lowest in sugar (10g per 100g) and highest in fibre (3.5g per 100g), the doctor continues.

In brown-spotted, overripe bananas, the sugar content nearly doubles to 17g per 100g. That, alongside their higher fibre content, is why less-ripe bananas might be better for those with diabetes.

Barely-ripe bananas have slightly less fibre and slightly more sugar, though as the fruit ages, “you also get more of a potassium boost.”

Fully ripe yellow bananas, meanwhile, are “packed with antioxidants,” the doctor says ― including catechins, which are great for our heart health and reducing inflammation.

It’s also got the highest vitamin C and B5 levels, and because that resistant starch we mentioned earlier has all but gone by the time the banana’s yellow, it;s far easier to digest.

That makes it perfect for a pre-workout snack, Dr Rajan suggests.

Lastly, overripe bananas have more sugar ― good for a quick, if short-term, energy hit ― and contain the least fibre.

It is also, however, “the richest in antioxidants” the fruit will ever be, as the brown spots we associate with older bananas come from those heart-healthy catechins.

How big are the differences really?

The 2021 paper we mentioned earlier said that while the types of fibre, sugar, and starch levels in bananas can change as they ripen, results from controlled studies don’t always match what’s found in store-bought bananas.

That’s partly down to “variables in the supply chain,” they say.

Besides which, all bananas have some health benefits. Turns out the best banana is often the one you like most.