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0r Bananas
Nutritional Profile
Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate
Protein: Low
Fat: Low
Saturated fat: Low
Cholesterol: None
Carbohydrates: High
Fiber: Moderate
Sodium: Low
Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins, vitamin C
Major mineral contribution: Potassium, magnesiumAbout the Nutrients in This Food
A banana begins life with more starch than sugar, but as the fruit ripens
its starches turn to sugar, which is why ripe bananas taste so much better
than unripe ones.* The color of a banana’s skin is a fair guide to its starch/
sugar ratio. When the skin is yellow-green, 40 percent of its carbohydrates
are starch; when the skin is fully yellow and the banana is ripe, only 8 per-
cent of the carbohydrates are still starch. The rest (91 percent) have broken
down into sugars—glucose, fructose, sucrose, the most plentiful sugar in
the fruit. Its high sugar content makes the banana, in its self-contained
packet, a handy energy source.
Bananas are a high-fiber food with insoluble cellulose and lignin in
the tiny seeds and soluble pectins in the flesh. They are also a good source
of vitamin C and potassium.
One small (six-inch) banana or a half-cup of sliced banana has 2.6 g
dietary fiber and 8.8 mg vitamin C (12 percent of the RDA for a woman,
10 percent of the RDA for a man), plus 363 mg potassium.The Most Nutritious Way to Serve This Food
Fresh and ripe. Green bananas contain antinutrients, proteins that inhibit
the actions of amylase, an enzyme that makes it possible for us to digest* They are also more healthful. Green bananas contain proteins that inhibit amy-
lase, an enzyme that makes it possible for us to digest complex carbohydrates.