Banana

Des Esseintes

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Basically, all I glean from PEat is they're bad.


But I must ask. Why?

I do not want to hear - they increase serotonin etc - apparently all carbohydrates do that. Also they have lower levels that Russets!
 

bradley

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Two reasons from what I gather.

1. They are usually eaten unripe, which means consuming raw starch. Truly ripe bananas are very soft and spotty.

2. On modern plantations, banana plants are grown under high stress year-round. Like animals, plants release inflammatory compounds when under stress, and we consume these compounds.

Two ways to mitigate this... eat organic bananas from small farms and eat them really ripe.
 
OP
D

Des Esseintes

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Thank you for replying Bradley, your response was informative. Would I be correct in assuming that eating 12 really ripe, organic bananas in a smoothie per day is fine?

P.S. Apologies for the defective grammar and spelling in my original question, it was being written at work.
 

charlie

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Cooking them would help with the starch.
 

juanitacarlos

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Des Esseintes said:
Would I be correct in assuming that eating 12 really ripe, organic bananas in a smoothie per day is fine?

Why don't you try it and post your results? I would love to see if you have any negative/positive/neutral reactions.
 

barefooter

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A while ago I got used to eating very ripe soft bananas, but now I'm hooked on cooking them. So far I seem to do well with a couple per day. I figured out to heat them for 1-2 minutes in the microwave before peeling them. In my opinion, this makes the flavor and texture amazing, especially on top of vanilla ice cream. Or top them with honey, coconut oil, and salt.
 

dukez07

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bradley said:
Two reasons from what I gather.

1. They are usually eaten unripe, which means consuming raw starch. Truly ripe bananas are very soft and spotty.

2. On modern plantations, banana plants are grown under high stress year-round. Like animals, plants release inflammatory compounds when under stress, and we consume these compounds.

Two ways to mitigate this... eat organic bananas from small farms and eat them really ripe.

What's so bad about eating raw starch? Cooked starch increases the insulinogenic response by the body. Like cooked potatoes being a completely different animal in comparison to raw potatoes. Not saying that spiking your insulin is a bad thing, because I see evidence at both ends of the table.
 

pboy

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I agree organic ripe bananas...room temperature or cooked and removing those stringy parts really helps with their digestion. Otherwise they are kind of bloating and gassy.
Personally I think of them in the light that many may consider coca cola here...not ideal, but can be a good energy punch in a bind. 12 a day in a smoothie? I don't think it would hurt you, it defiantly wouldn't destroy your health unless it dehydrated you...but you might get a lot of gas if there is too much hard to digest materials and not feel so great...may not ruin your health, but perhaps an afternoon
 

kenji

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Living on a budget, I'm considering eating 2 bananas a day (I currently eat one). Is this likely to cause any problem because of serotonin?
 

Mittir

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The way RP explained is that if your serotonin is already high and close to
threshold level then a small amount of serotonin in fruits can push that
level to cause trigger. He gave similar explanation for lactic acid
causing problem in susceptible people with low glycogen storage.
I think banana and plantains are the fruits with highest number
of problematic issues. He wrote about chitinase in banana causing
allergy. High starch content and soluble fiber in banana can be a problem.
Fiber related problem depends on individual gut bacteria composition.
Banana is quite high in vitamins and minerals. If you do not see any
adverse effects from eating two bananas a day then it is a good thing.
I have noticed that i get very little problem with banana
grown in non-commercial farm. This supports RP's explanation that
commercial banana is high in allergens. RP also mentioned that
banana should be totally ripe to the point of amber mush.
 

jyb

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Mittir said:
I have noticed that i get very little problem with banana
grown in non-commercial farm.

I'm not sure if I have ever come accross such bananas. I was told that they taste extremely different than those we have at the store.
 

jyb

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I find banana doesn't harm my digestion. No gas and quick transit. I fry some in coconut oil and eat it with a fatty meal.
 

pboy

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I experimented recently with bananas, I used to eat a lot so I know to let them get almost spoiled ripe. It wasn't that bad actually, more gentle than other fruit actually...but since they aren't necessary with what else Im eating I tend to not buy them. Definitely buy organic though, theres a definite difference (get the central or south American if you can). Likely more than 2-3 at a time would have a high chance for discomfort, but you could test your threshold. Start with 1 and see how it goes...sometimes bananas give this mouth itching / burning astringent sensation...if you get one of those, id recommend discarding it and going to the next one, as this is a good indication of a non harmony with your digestive tract
 

charlie

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I am eating bananas with no noticeable problems. I just make sure they are super right. And for a nice treat I like frying them in coconut oil, and butter and then poured over vanilla ice cream. YUM!
 

Dutchie

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Hey everyone,

I love bananas but I've been having mixed experiences with eating them,most of them constipate and/or my mood tanks even though I let them fully ripen/overripe.
Tried several brands and sometimes they don't constipate,so I paid attention if it was a certain brand but it wasn't. Most bananas over here are from Panama , Columbia, Ecuador, Costa Rica.
I noticed that it's the bananas from Costa Rica that usually don't cause problems,so I wonder if anyone knows what's the possible difference?

Do they coat the bananas with fairydust powder in Costa Rica?;)
 

Zachs

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Do you eat organic bananas?

RP says that bananas contain seretonin so they can cause issues? Its not the case for me though.
 

loess

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I clung pretty desperately to the ideals of the vegan "80/10/10" diet between the years of 2004-2012 and consumed an absolutely silly amount of bananas in that time period. Personally I feel that on a commercial scale, they're pretty inferior when compared to other fruits, and honestly I wouldn't miss Cavendish bananas at all if I never ate or saw one again in my lifetime. But I did manage to sample a pretty wide selection of both conventional and organic commercially produced bananas during that period. Of all of them, I found that the fair-trade organic bananas produced by the Cerro Azul cooperative in Ecuador were the best tasting and ripened the most consistently. I don't know if they are available in the Netherlands? Not sure what to say about the constipation. Are you consuming the bananas in a ripened state? Should be speckled with brown spots.
 

pboy

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pretty funny how that 80 10 10 guy turned out to be this like crazy guy who did ****88 up stuff to people, I always could tell he was weird and fake, business money oriented only. He probably did more damage also to all the people who follow his diet
 

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