Rosalee Brown

Some people are shying away from complex carbohydrates such as green bananas because they are under the wrong impression that they are too starchy, too heavy or will make them fat.

However, the green banana is really an excellent food and can be used for any one of the main meals. It has small amounts of proteins, no fat, some calcium, small amounts of B vitamins and is a good source of folacin. It is also a good source of fibre and is high in potassium. But what I am most excited about (which is good news for persons monitoring their caloric and carbohydrate intake such as persons with diabetes and weight watchers) is that the green banana is lower in calories than many other complex starches.

Caloric Profile

The green banana has a relatively high water content and 28 grams of it, which is approximately one ounce, has only 25 calories and 6.4 grams of carbohydrate. Compare this to 28 grams of one of the unsweetened dry cereals such as cornflakes, where 28 grams has 100 calories and 16 grams of carbohydrate; 28 grams of a thin shop slice of whole wheat bread has 15 grams of carbohydrate and 70 calories.

One small finger of peeled green banana is approximately 2 ounces. So a meal of 3 fingers of small boiled bananas is only 150 calories and 38 grams of carbohydrate. Many Jamaican believe that green bananas are high in iron but on the contrary, they have negligible amounts of iron.

Some callaloo would go well with your bananas. A cup of callaloo with an ounce of fish and a small amount of oil, preferably with only one table spoon of coconut milk, would make a sumptuous breakfast. The callaloo would provide some amount of iron, which would be more bioavailable if an orange or another citrus fruit is served with the meal.

The down side of green bananas is that many people hate to peel them and can't stand the staining of their hands. If this is really a big problem and you have no volunteers to do the peeling for you, why not try cooking it in the skin. Remove the top and bottom, slit the sides and cook in the same way you would a peeled banana.

Nutrient profile

Remember that the caloric profile of banana given above is for the unadulterated boiled banana, so if you add oil or meat fat to the boiling water you will b the caloric and nutrient profile. The caloric and carbohydrate contents of the meal are dependent on other foods and drinks served with it.

My advice is to eat more green bananas; they are filling, satisfying, inexpensive, and friendly to your blood sugar and waistline. So I would say hurray for green bananas.