HOW often do you leave your bananas sitting on your counter top to ripen?
The fruit certainly seems more appealing when it’s softer and sweeter.
GettyEating your bananas green could slash your risk of colon cancer and liver disease, Dr Michael Mosley said[/caption]
But you might be missing out on bananas’ health benefits by not eating them sooner, diet guru Dr Micheal Mosley argued.
That’s because green bananas are made up of resistant starch, “which isn’t readily broken down in the gut but acts more like fibre”, according to the TV doctor.
Writing for Mail Online, Dr Mosley said resistant starch doesn’t give you as big of a blood sugar spike, because you absorb less of it.
Foods containing it also “feed the friendly bacteria in your gut”, he added.
These bacteria are key because they “convert the resistant starch into a fatty acid called butyrate”.
According to the diet guru, butyrate can actually slash your skin of developing killer colon cancer, as well as benefiting your gut in other ways.
Dr Mosley cited new research showing that the resistant starch found in green bananas and other foods can help your liver, as well as your gut.
Researchers at Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital in China recruited 200 people with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, a build-up of fat in the liver .
Dr Mosley noted: “One in three Britons has early signs of this condition, which is associated with a raised risk of heart attack, stroke and liver damage.”
Patients in the study had a resistant starch powder made from maize or corn twice a day for four months.
Findings showed they had 40 per cent less fat in their livers, compared to those who didn’t have the starchy powder at all.
Participants eating the powder daily also had reduced levels of liver enzymes and inflammatory factors associated with the disease, Dr Mosley added.
If you’re looking to reap the benefits of resistant starch, no need to resort to eating maize powder.
“The good news is you can easily increase your consumption of resistant starch by eating oats, legumes and green bananas,” Dr Mosley wrote.
Another good source of resistant starch is pasta – but not a freshly cooked bowl of it.
Dr Mosley said cooking, cooling and reheating rice, pasta or potatoes can convert the carby staples into a gut and liver friendly starch.
While reheating your pasta might seem like a faff, research also suggests that letting the comforting carb cool before tucking in can help with weight loss.
Dr Mosley has previously revealed which of your favourite breakfast foods could be doing you more harm than good.
He also shared a delicious drink that can usher you through your late night hunger pangs and help boost weight loss.