Raw Bananas 101: Benefits, Side Effects & More!

Bananas are tasty and easily available fruits that are loved by most. Yellow banana is a more commonly valued source of dietary nutrition. However, unripe Green Bananas have tremendous health benefits as well.

Owing to their less sweet taste and rugged texture, Raw Bananas are often cooked and eaten as a vegetable. This article will help you learn more about the excellent raw banana benefits and various uses of raw bananas.

Raw Banana Nutrition

Raw Green Bananas have an abundance of potassium, fibre, vitamin C, vitamin B6, high levels of antioxidants, and several phytonutrients.

The nutritional composition of 1 medium-sized raw banana of approximately 100 grams are:

• Choline 9.8 mg
• Carbohydrates 22.84 g
• Dietary fibre 2.6 g
• Folate (B9) 20 μg
• Fat 0.33 g
• Magnesium 27 mg
• Iron 0.26 mg
• Manganese 0.27 mg
• Pantothenic acid (B5) 0.334 mg
• Niacin (B3) 0.665 mg
• Phosphorus 22 mg
• Protein 1.09 g
• Potassium 358 mg
• Riboflavin (B2) 0.073 mg
• Sodium 1 mg
• Thiamine (B1) 0.031 mg
• Sugars 12.23 g
• Vitamin C 8.7 mg
• Zinc 0.15 mg
  

The main component of unripe bananas is starch. Green bananas contain up to 80% starch measured in dry weight. Bananas have a relatively low glycemic index (GI) of 42–58, depending on their ripeness.

Bananas are also a good source of other fibre types, such as pectin. Some of the pectin in bananas is water-soluble.

Raw Banana Benefits

Here are ten fantastic health benefits of consuming Raw Bananas regularly:

1. Nutritionally Rich Profile

Green raw bananas are abundant in resistant starch and an essential nutrient called short-chain fatty acid. They also have vital minerals and vitamins, including potassium, vitamin B6 and C, dietary fibre, and substantial quantities of protein. One medium-sized green banana has about 81 calories.

2. Help Indigestion

Owing to high quantities of resistant starch as well as dietary fibre, green bananas have a significant role to play in aiding digestion and preventing stomach problems, such as soothing ulcers. They also help in fighting possible bacterial infections of the gut.

3. Regulate and Reduce Blood Pressure

Raw bananas contain high levels of potassium that help in lowering high blood pressure by reducing the stress on our blood vessels as well as arteries. Hence, raw bananas help prevent heart conditions like atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and even strokes.

4. Aid in Weight Management

Including green bananas in our diet helps us stay full for a more extended period due to the high levels of resistant starch present in them. As a result, we don't get unneeded hunger pangs. One can quickly lose weight naturally.

5. Control Blood Sugar Levels

High levels of Vitamin B6 found in raw bananas help regulate blood glucose in pre-diabetic and diabetic people. They suppress the insulin released into our blood and which in turn helps to stabilize our blood sugar levels owing to high levels of fibre present in raw bananas. Consuming boiled green bananas provide the best results with reasonable control of high sugar.

6. Help in Boosting Metabolism

Green bananas consist of essential micronutrients and minerals that aid in converting fat into substantial energy. This, in turn, increases the body's metabolism and improves body function. They are also rich in vitamin B6, which aids the breakdown of enzymes that also help in boosting the body's metabolism.

7. Soothes Diarrhoea

Accessible to digest and rich in nutrients, raw banana is an excellent food option while fighting diarrhoea. Apart from being easily digestible, they also help in reducing the headache, nausea, fatigue, and vomiting symptoms accompanied by diarrhoea.

8. Improves Kidney Function

Raw bananas help in maintaining the electrolyte balance of our body, which in turn improves kidney functions. Consuming raw bananas frequently helps prevent kidney problems, such as kidney cancer.

9. It Helps the Blood to Absorb Nutrients Properly

Thanks to short-chain fatty acids, consuming green bananas can increase our body’s nutrition absorbing abilities. The fatty acids and fibres present in raw bananas help the gut absorb essential nutrients, particularly calcium.

10. Beneficial for Hair and Skin

Vitamin C in raw bananas makes them an effective solution to fight damage caused to skin and hair by free radicals. The presence of Vitamin B6 in raw Bananas helps in boosting our immune system that all together benefit skin and hair. There are some face and hair packs too that can be made using both unripe green and yellow ripe bananas for healthy skin and hair.

11. Raw Banana Benefits for Skin

Raw Bananas are extremely rich in vitamins B6 and Vitamin C. These vitamins are beneficial for both skin and hair. The nutritional composition of raw bananas help in boosting our immune systems and also aid in protecting our skin from damage caused by free radicals. Hence, there are tremendous raw banana benefits for the skin.

12. Raw Banana for Weight Loss

Raw Bananas are low glycemic, high fibre foods. Consuming raw bananas helps us feel full for a longer duration because of their high-fibre and carbohydrate-rich composition. They don't spike blood sugar levels like other carbohydrate-rich food due to their low GI levels.

Raw banana for weight loss is a fantastic remedy as one medium-sized green Banana has less than 100 calories. A vegetable curry, cutlets, or other healthy snacks made of green Bananas are excellent food options for people trying to lose weight.

Also Read: 10 Red Banana Health Benefits You Wouldn't Know About

Raw Banana Recipes

Raw Bananas are very versatile when used as an ingredient in foods. They can be a part of smoothies, vegetable curries, cutlets, and many snacks. Those who experience gluten intolerance can also opt for flour made of raw bananas to replace wheat while making rotis.

1. Raw Bananas Cutlets

Ingredients:

• Green Chillies Chopped – 2
• Raw Banana/Plantain – 4
• Ginger paste – 1 tsp
• Corn Flour/rice flour– 3 tbsp
• Chopped coriander – 3 tbsp
• Red Chili Powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt – 1 tsp
• Chaat Masala – 1/2 tsp
• Black pepper powder – 1 tsp
• Cooking oil – 1/4 cup
  

Steps to make:

• Boil the raw bananas and mash them using a fork.
• Add the cornflour or rice flour, salt, red chilli powder, pepper, and chat masala.
• Mix well and add the ginger paste, chopped coriander, and chopped green chillies.
• Make a dough-like mixture and prepare small patties out of it.
• You can shallow fry them on a pan using a few drops of oil.
• You can also fry them crisp in an air fryer.

2. Vazhakkai Poriyal

Ingredients:

• 3 Raw bananas
• 1/2 cup grated fresh coconut
• 4-5 Green chillies
• 50-gram onion Shallots
• Four dry chilli whole
• 1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp jeera whole
• 1/2 tsp Mustard seeds (rai)
• 6-7 Curry leaves
• 2-3 tsp Coconut oil
• Salt to taste
  

Method:

• Peel and chop the raw bananas into small pieces.
• Take a saucepan, add some water and bring to a boil. Then add all the chopped raw bananas, salt, turmeric powder and cook until the Banana turns tender.
• Drain the Bananas using a sieve and set them aside.
• In a mixture jar, grind the onion shallots, whole jeera, grated coconut, and chopped green chillies into a paste (a miniature course).
• Take some oil in the pan and put it in the rai (black mustard seeds).
• Once the mustard seeds start spluttering, add the curry leaves and whole red chilli, fry for a few minutes.
• Now add the coarse coconut paste prepared earlier and saute for 5-6 seconds.
• Add the boiled raw banana and mix well.
• Add salt and immediately switch off the flame.
• Serve hot with roti or rice.

Raw Banana Side Effects

Side effects of eating raw green bananas are quite rare. However, if consumed excessively, there could be some raw banana side effects.

Eating too many raw Bananas can cause gas, resultant bloating, loose motions, cramping, nausea, and even vomiting. If consumed in very high doses, green bananas may increase the potassium levels in our blood. Some people also develop severe allergies to raw bananas due to overconsumption.

Green Vs. Yellow Bananas

Green bananas differ from yellow bananas in the following ways:

Taste - Yellow bananas are way sweeter than Raw green bananas. Green Bananas can even be a little bitter.

Texture - Yellow bananas are softer and mushier. Raw Green bananas are firm and waxy when uncooked.

Composition - As compared to yellow Bananas, Green bananas have higher resistant starches. When bananas ripen, they gradually turn yellow, and the starch transforms into fructose and sugar.

Yellow bananas are highly nutritious due to their higher fibre, potassium, and antioxidants. In addition, they contain simpler sugars as compared to other sugary fruits. Hence, the carbohydrate content of yellow bananas is more accessible for our bodies to break down. Consequently, they quickly boost our body’s energy levels.

Green bananas, on the other hand, have a lower glycemic index, and therefore a lower simple sugar count. They also contain high levels of fibre and potassium, and since they have not yet ripened, they are incredibly high in resistant starch, which acts as a soluble fibre and can keep you full for longer.

The body is energized for longer because the starch is digested much more slowly, full for a longer duration. This aids in weight loss as well. Moreover, green bananas have a lower GI and high levels of potassium. Since their starch is digested relatively slower than that of yellow bananas, the energy that green bananas give us is sustained longer.

Summing up on Raw Banana Benefits

Unripe and green Bananas contain a myriad list of nutritional benefits for the body. Right from the olden times, raw bananas have been commonly used for treating conditions like diarrhoea, ulcers, stomach infections, reducing blood sugar levels, improving kidney functions, and even regulating blood pressure.

Green bananas are extremely rich in pectin and resistant starch. This makes them filling and easily digestible for our bodies. Contrary to ripe and yellow Bananas, green bananas keep us full and may aid in weight loss. Additionally, there are many raw banana benefits for hair and skin.

FAQs

1) Can People With Diabetes Eat Green Bananas?

Yes, green bananas have a very low glycemic index and hence can be safely consumed by people with diabetes; they don't spike blood sugar levels. However, people with uncontrolled diabetes shouldn't eat raw Bananas or other starchy vegetables in excess.

2) How Long Do Green Bananas Last?

Green unripe bananas last for 2-5 days if kept outside at room temperature, after which they start turning ripe. If you want to ripen them faster, you can wrap them in a paper bag and keep them in a warm place. Bananas, raw or ripe, can spoil faster if kept in the refrigerator.