0 The New Complete Book of Food
Buying This Food
Look for: Large, firm plantains with green peel flecked with some brown spots. The riper
the plantain, the blacker its skin.
Avoid: Plantains with soft spots under the skin.Storing This Food
Store plantains at room temperature or refrigerate.Preparing This Food
Cut off the ends of the plantain, slice down through the peel and remove it in strips, under
running water to prevent the plantain from staining your hands.What Happens When You Cook This Food
When you cook a plantain the starch granules in its flesh will swell and rupture. The fruit
softens and its nutrients become easier to absorb.How Other Kinds of Processing Affect This Food
* * *Medical Uses and/or Benefits
Potassium benefits. Because potassium is excreted in urine, potassium-rich foods are often
recommended for people taking diuretics. In addition, a diet rich in potassium (from food)
is associated with a lower risk of stroke. A 1998 Harvard School of Public Health analysis
of data from the long-running Health Professionals Study shows 38 percent fewer strokes
among men who ate nine servings of high-potassium foods a day vs. those who ate less
than four servings. Among men with high blood pressure, taking a daily 1,000 mg potas-
sium supplement—about the amount of potassium in 1^1 / 2 cups sliced plantain—reduced the
incidence of stroke by 60 percent.
Lower risk of stroke. Various nutrition studies have attested to the power of adequate
potassium to keep blood pressure within safe levels. For example, in the 1990s, data from
the long-running Harvard School of Public Health/Health Professionals Follow-Up Study of
male doctors showed that a diet rich in high-potassium foods such as bananas, oranges, and
plantain may reduce the risk of stroke. In the study, the men who ate the higher number