Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Do bananas classify as a starchy carb? THey feel kind of starchy to me and I prefer them for energy over any other fruit. Are they part starch?

flag	asked Jun 12 2012 at 16:18 foreveryoung 16.2k●2●11●55

Sol · Accepted Answer · 2012-06-12 16:34:06Z UTC

I think the answer to your question is that it depends on how ripe the banana is. I think of what we call plantains to be the starchier version of what Americans think of as bananas.

Wikipedia makes this point:

Bananas are a staple starch for many tropical populations. Depending upon cultivar and ripeness, the flesh can vary in taste from starchy to sweet, and texture from firm to mushy.

Livestrong has an interesting little article on bananas, with references at the end. Relating to the question at hand, they had this to say:

Starch content in bananas drop from 25 percent to about 1 percent after fully ripe. Oligosaccharides are considered "resistant starch," meaning they resist digestion and simply help promote regularity. Green bananas contain more of this resistant starch and may cause bloating and gas. Eventually, this resistant starch breaks down to sugars as bananas continue to ripen.

Mike T · Answer 2 · 2012-06-12 16:34:43Z UTC

Most (maybe all?) fruit has some starch, but a higher percentage of a banana's carbs are from starch versus many other fruits. This shows you the breakdown:

http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2260?fg=&man=&lfacet=&count=&max=&sort=&qlookup=&offset=&format=Full&new=

Also, I believe as a banana ripens, some of the starch is broken down to simple sugar (sucrose?). That is why overripe bananas are sweeter.

Kelly · Answer 3 · 2012-06-12 16:46:54Z UTC

yellow bananas will tend to be starchier, than bananas with brown spots, which mean the starches are converting into sugar.

plantains are also very very starchy green and generally eaten as a starch (fried), but if you let them turn yellow and almost black (ripe) they will be very sweet and can be eaten as a sweet savory option or a dessert.

Acumen Athletics · Answer 4 · 2012-06-12 22:15:25Z UTC

Depends what stage of ripe.

http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4574458_what-causes-bananas-ripen.html

ripens.

ripens.> The enzyme that makes bananas sweet

is called amylase. Amylase breaks down the starch in the banana fruit. When the starch is broken into its smaller sugar components, called glucose, the banana tastes sweet. The enzyme that softens the banana is called pectinase. Pectinase breaks down the cell walls in the banana fruit so that it is less firm. The peel of the banana also becomes softer as it ripens.ripens.

ripens.

bananas: half starch half fruit?

4 Answers