The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1915-06-07
The Undervalued Banana.

The dictum that fruits should be
eaten Gin their season. finds its imi
tations as regards variety in the tenn
perate zones at certain periods of the
year. There is, however, one fruit
which is readily available fresh in
American markets at practically all
seasons, although it grows best from
November to April in its tropical or
semitropieal home. It IS unfortunate
that an article of diet which meets GER
tain nutritiye requirements so we'll and
is so easily obtained at reasonable
cost as the banana should be the sub
ject of much misunderstanding among
both physicians and laymen. For de-
spite the fact that over forty million
lunches are reported to have been
brought to the United States last year.
lit IS popularly stated in many quarters
that the banana is difficult of digcs-
ton and may give rise to alimentary
distress.
A closer consideration of the com
position of the banana may serve to
elucidate the situation. The fruit is
brought to our northern markets green,
and is ripened by artificial heat. This
process can be fastened or delayed
within certain limits according to the
momentary demands of the retail
trade. The color of the peel gives evi-
| dence of the degree of ripeness. The
green banana contains, IN the part cx
elusive of the skin, about 1.5 per cent
of protein and 20 to % per cent of
carbohydrate, almost entirely starch.
In the ripe banana with ycllow-brown
peel, the edible part contains somewhat
less (16 to 10 per cent? of carbohy-
drate; but that which remains is now
almost entirely in the form of soluble
sugars. Broadly speaking, then, the
ripe banana is about one-fifth sugar ],
the green, one-ffth starch. Most Of the
remainder of the edible pulp is water.
intermediate degrees Of ripeness present
starch and sugar in reciprocal proper
tions varying between the limits set
above.
Inasmuch as bananas are commonly
eaten uncooked, it is obvious that more
or less raw starch will be ingested if
the fruit is not ripe, i. G., if the skin
has not begun to shrivel and darken
Raw starch may be singularly irritating
to the almentary tract of man and Is
at best poorly utilized, whether it be
ingested in the form of uncooked po
tatoes, chestnuts. bananas or other ma
, tive starchy foods. No one would adj
wise the use of uncooked potatoes; vet
many people eschew a thoroughly rips
banana in the belief that this whole
some fruit is srotten' when the Skin
becomes darkened, whereas they eager
~ eat the yellow-green starch bearing
| fruit at a stage of incomplete ripeness
''Green' bananas, like green APP
: pies, are unwholesome so long as tn,
starch has not been adequat II, con
n verified into sugars in the riDening pro
cesses. But the delicious and innoeu
: Gus ripe banana should not be made
to suffer in its dietetic reputation he
cause of the ignorance of The coz
; sumner. Here is chance for popula
: education, says The Journal of tn
0 American Medical ASSOCIATION.
s Experience shows that the thorough
" ripe banana Cor the less ripe fruit
a after cooking) is undeserving of tn
e unfavorable reputation which it la
won in certain quarters. It forms
IS useful addition to the dietary. riche
n in nutrients and far more deliciou
than some of its more expensive con
, | petitorS.