Bananas for Consumption
Bananas are ripe when they are solid yellow without any green and are overripe once they develop large brown spot. Unripe bananas contain enzyme inhibitors and are therefore constipating and difficult to digest, whereas ripe bananas do not have the inhibitors and are considered laxative.
Avoid commercial bananas, which are picked unripe and then treated with ethylene gas to hasten ripening during shipment; instead purchase organic bananas and place them in a paper bag to encourage natural ripening. To preserve bananas at the peak of ripeness, store them in the refrigerator, which will turn the skin brown but not adversely affect the flavor, or keep them in the dark, plastic bag sealed with a twist tie.
Use bananas in pudding, pies, fruit salads and smoothies. Bananas blended with water make nourishing banana milk. Snack on them fresh, or try a sandwich of banana and raw almond butter. Freeze peeled bananas and run them through a juicer to make dairy-free “ice cream.” Dried banana chips make a tasty, sweet treat.
People who exceedingly cold, frail, or lethargic should only consume bananas in moderation, as eating them may exacerbate those conditions.
Ripe bananas for Consumption
