Patricia Thompson - NUTRITION TALKBANANAS ARE as central to the Jamaican palate as they are to the country's economy. Green bananas are used in breakfast, lunch or dinner as the main starch source or 'staple food' and can be cooked into porridge or used in other one-pot dishes or salads.
The ripe fruit has much of the starch converted to sugar so that nutritionally, it is classified as 'fruit'. A relative, the plantain, is also eaten green or ripe but unlike the ripe banana, the latter is best cooked because it contains indigestible tannins. Both forms of plantain are classified as "staple foods".
Ripe bananas are probably the easiest fruit to peel and eat any time of day but when peeled they should not be left exposed to the air otherwise they will turn black from oxidation. To prevent this when being used in salads, the peeled fruit should immediately be treated with lime or lemon juice. So versatile is this food that it has been used to make fritters, banana bread, chips, juices and drinks among other uses. Even the leaves are used in cooking for wrapping of 'meat pies' to be steamed, called pastelle in the Southern Caribbean, and tie-a-leaf or blue
drawers in Jamaica.
NUTRITION
One mistaken view, still believed by some persons, is that green banana is a rich source of the mineral, iron, but we know this to be untrue. The iron comes from the other foods rich in iron that it's eaten with such as liver, canned mackerel and sardines and curried goat. It complements these foods by providing the starch and dietary fibre that they lack and is also a rich source of the mineral, potassium, and vitamin B6. There is even more potassium in the ripe banana, being among the richest natural sources. It also has more vitamin A than the green fruit but much less than the plantain.
Green bananas are lower in calories than the other staple foods but ripe bananas are more calorie-dense than other fruits with twice the calories as an orange. Its sugar, however, has a slower rate of absorption into the blood than some other fruits like the watermelon and can safely be used in moderation by diabetics.
HEALTH EFFECTS
We have known for a long time that a high intake of salt (chemically known as sodium) will increase blood pressure, especially in those who are sensitive to salt. What may not be widely known is that potassium can counteract this effect and may actually lower blood pressure. Bananas are not only low in sodium but extremely high in potassium, which also works together with the vitamin B6 present to maintain heart health and stability of the nervous system.Women experiencing the irritability of menstruation or menopause benefit from vitamin B6 and would find this food useful. The vitamin B6 as well as the phytochemicals of banana help boost immunity and protect against cancer and heart attacks. Banana containing phospholipids reduce the risk of heart disease, asthma and other conditions. Highest levels of phospholipids, however, are found in the banana skin.
Clear healthy bowels are achieved naturally by increasing the fibre and water content of the diet. Bananas are 74 per cent water and the fibre is primarily of the soluble type, the same as found in oats so will not only help prevent constipation but also help lower blood cholesterol levels. Other medicinal substances in the banana are active against ulcers. These strengthen the walls of the gut thus increasing their resistance to acid erosion.
Patricia Thompson M.Sc., Registered Nutritionist, The Nutrition Centre, Eden Gardens.
