The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1912-09-29
The Undervalued Banana
-. information In Regard to the
Food Value Of This Whole
some Fruit.

..,ane as regards variety in the tenn
10 zones at certain p .riods OF the
There is, however. one fruit
,,.s q readily available fresh in
.r,can markets at practically all
asons although it grows best from
Noyember to April in its tropical or
.,m,.tropical home. It is unfortunate
No. on article OF diet which meets
.to,n nutritive requirements as well
- 10 so easily obtained at reason
ma cost as the banana should be the
.nb,ect Of much misunderstanding
.r,onp both physicians and laymen
ror despite the fact that forty mil
,,or lunches are reported to have
neen brought to the United States
last wear, it is popularity stated IN
,.nv quarters that the banana is diff
scult Of digestion and may give rise
10 alimentary distress.
closer consideration of the COM
nosition of the banana may serve to
a,uc,date the situation. The fruit is
hroupht to our northern markets
green and is ripened by artificial
heat This process can be fastened
or delayed within certain limits ac-
cording to the momentary demands Of
tho retail trade. The color of the peel
gives evidence of the degree of ripe
ness. The green banana contains, in
the part exclusive of the skin, about
4 per cent of portein and 20 to % per
cent of carbohydrate almost entirely
starch and In the ripe banana with
yellow.brown peel, the edible part
contains somewhat less than 16 to 10
per cent of carbohydrate; but that
which remain is now almost entirely
In form of soluable sugars. Broadly
speaking then, the ripe banana is
about one-fifth sugar; the green, one
fifth starch. Most of the remainder OF
the edible pulp is water. intermediate
degrees of ripeness present starch
and sugar in reciri ocal proportions
varying between the limits set above.
Inasmuch as bananas are common
" eaten uncooked, 1t is obvious that
more or less raw starch will be di-
gested if the fruit is not ripe, j. e., if
the skin has Lot begun to shrivel AND
darken. Raw starch may be singular
ly irritating TO the ailmentary tract OF
man and is at best poorly utilized
whether it be digested in the form OF
uncooked potatoes, chestnuts ban
anas or other native starchy food. Nc
one would advise the use of uncooked
potatoes; yet many people eschew a
thoroughly ripe banana in the belief
that this wholesome fruit is rotten
when the skin becomes darkened
whereas they eagerly eat the yellow
green starch barring fruit at a stage
Of incomplete ripeness. Green ban
anas, like green apples, are un
: wholesome so long as the starch has
not been adequately converted into
sugars in the ripening processes. Blu
the delicious and innocuous ripe ba
mana should not be made to suffer II
its dietestic reputation because of tn,
ignorance of the consumer. Here /!
chance for popular education.
Two other factors deserve notice il
the defense of the maligned banana
One concerns the reprehensible habi
of gulping down this fruit without ade
quate mastication. 1t is a pleasure t.
watch young children consume rip
bananas and note the physiologic col
rectness of their mode of eating. Un
fortunate it is indeed, that the shap
of the banana permits it to be intro
duced into the mouth without tn
hONSsodlS SluSiSiil
The second misfortune is one tina
involves the retailer of the banana
Although this fruit is sealed by M
ture in practically germ-proof pacl
ages, most fruit dealers are wont t
tear off bananas from the stem t
which they are attached. One end c
the fruit is thus exposed to the al
and decay soon sets In. Esthetic an
hygienic considerations both deman
that bananas should be cut (not torn
from the bunch and should renal
completely enclosed in their nature
covering until served.
Experience shows that the tho
oughiy ripe banana Cor the ltss riT
fruit, after seeking) is undeserving
the unfavorable reputation which
has won in certain quarters.
forms a useful addition to the dietar
richer in nutriments and more delic
GUS than some of the expensive cor
petitors.-Journal of the America
Medical Association.