The Digestible Value of Bananas
The "Journal of the American Medical Association" says that there is much misunderstanding among both physicians and laymen regarding the digestible value of the banana as food. The ripe banana is about one fifth sugar, soluble and easily digestible; the green, one fifth starch. Most of the remainder of the edible pulp is water. The difficulty comes when eaten too green, the raw starch being irritating to many. The fruit is said to be ripe when the skin has begun to shrivel and darken, but many reject it when the skin becomes darkened, thinking that it is "rotten." If not ripe, it should be cooked, the same as potatoes. The article closes by saying, "Experience shows that the thoroly ripe banana, or the less ripe fruit after cooking, is undeserving of the unfavorable reputation which it has won in certain quarters. It forms a useful addition to the dietary, richer in nutrients and far more delicious than some of its more expensive competitors."