Eat more green bananas to lose weight? Be careful not to aggravate constipation

Can eating unripe green bananas help you lose weight? Weight loss has become a trend nowadays. Many people are eager to try out new weight loss methods when they hear about them. The green banana weight loss method is one of them. Nutritionists remind us that although the resistant starch in green bananas is a new favorite for weight loss, if you eat green bananas directly as a supplement, you may get constipated before you lose weight.

Green bananas are considered a new favorite for weight loss because they contain resistant starch and have a lower glycemic index than yellow bananas.

Green bananas help you lose weight: resistant starch, moderate glycemic index

The function of resistant starch is similar to that of dietary fiber. It has a feeling of fullness and can prevent glucose from entering the intestines, which helps lower blood sugar and maintain blood sugar stability, and prevents obesity caused by eating too much. Green bananas are rich in resistant starch, which has sparked a craze for using green bananas for weight loss in Japan and Taiwan.

In addition, green bananas contain "indigestible maltodextrin" ingredients, which are not easily absorbed in the small intestine. They function similarly to dietary fiber and are medium glycemic index foods. Therefore, the rate at which blood sugar rises after eating them is not as high as that of yellow bananas with a high glycemic index. This is also one of the reasons why they are a good helper in weight control.

Resistant starch in green bananas needs to be extracted and eaten directly, which can cause constipation

Jiang Shifeng, a nutritionist at Daqian General Hospital, said that ripe yellow bananas have a laxative effect, but unripe green bananas contain more tannic acid, which not only tastes hard and astringent, but also has an astringent effect on the digestive tract, inhibiting gastrointestinal motility and making the stool dry and hard. Eating too much of them can easily lead to constipation or aggravate the symptoms of constipation.

Ripe yellow bananas have a laxative effect, but the calories are not low. Generally, adults should not eat more than 3 servings a day.

As for the claim that green bananas can help with weight loss, the method generally involves smashing the whole green banana with the skin, dehydrating it and grinding it into fine powder, then refining and extracting the resistant starch, rather than directly eating fresh green bananas to supplement the resistant starch. In addition, even though the glycemic index of green bananas is lower than that of yellow bananas, eating pure fruit as the staple food will cause blood sugar to rise in the long run.

Eat ripe yellow bananas! No more than 3 servings per day to protect the intestines

It’s better to eat ripe bananas! Nutritionist Jiang Shifeng said that the more ripe a banana is, the more brown spots will appear on its yellow skin, which makes it look unsightly, but it contains a large amount of polyphenols that can prevent cell aging. In addition, banana peels are rich in tryptophan, which can be converted into serotonin, bringing happiness to people; the chemical substance 5-hydroxytryptamine in bananas can relieve the irritation of gastric acid on the gastric mucosa and prevent gastric ulcers.

However, the calories in ripe yellow bananas are not low, about 90 calories per 100 grams, and they are also high in the glycemic index. Therefore, we should follow the recommendations of the Chinese Dietary Guidelines. The average adult should only consume 2 to 3 servings of fruit per day, which should be eaten in several times. The total amount should not exceed 3 servings per day to maintain smooth intestinal function and avoid a sudden surge in blood sugar, which will make you hungry faster and cause you to eat more.

Bananas are too high in potassium! Renal insufficiency requires dietary restrictions

Nutritionist Jiang Shifeng reminds that bananas are high in potassium and can help control blood pressure if consumed in moderation by most people. However, people with renal insufficiency or acute or chronic nephritis cannot excrete potassium ions normally from their bodies, so they are not suitable for eating too many bananas. The maximum amount of banana consumed per day is half a banana.