Banana flour

[LauraAnn]

Have just learned that there is a product out there that I haven't heard about until today...green banana flour. Amazon has several to choose from, but I didn't want to order any yet until checking with you guys. Has anyone tried it yet? Sounds interesting, but I have learned (the hard way) not to just jump in feet first without due diligence!

[Gabes-Apg]

I was trying to find info on the fibre content ie is it higher in fibre compared to coconut flour and was struggling to confirm this.
green banana flour is low histamine..

[LauraAnn]

Gabes,

Here is where I've been reading about it. Lots of info in this one article from Paleohacks:


http://blog.paleohacks.com/banana-flour/

[Gabes-Apg]

I don't have time at the moment to read through things
and as I am allergic to banana's I personally am not interested in this product

main thing to be careful of with any new item
- check manufacturing methods for cross contamination
- check with histamine type groups if anyone has found high histamine issues with that item
- check the fibre content and manage how much you use/consume each day based on fibre content each meal / each day

[LauraAnn]

Thank you Gabes for the info. I will do the math and probably give this a try if it seems to check out ok. I was hoping others had gone on before me and had some comments to offer. I will post again on this subject when I find out more.

[HockeyMom]

Was wondering about this myself as I saw some at Whole Foods last week picking up my weekly lamb/lamb bones!!!

Laine

[tex]

Basically, the main "claim to fame" of banana flour is the fact that green bananas contain starch (not sugar). As the bananas ripen, the starch is converted into sugar. Certain types of starch are resistant to digestion in the small intestine, so they are acclaimed for their weight reduction characteristics. Normal humans derive little nutritional benefit from resistant starches because they pass into the colon undigested, where they are fermented by bacteria. IOW, resistant starches are actually prebiotics that primarily benefit bacteria, not humans. And banana flour is claimed to be the most resistant starch known.

While some "health experts" find it difficult to stop talking about how healthy it is to ingest prebiotics in order to keep gut bacteria happy, my take on the prebiotic issue is that I don't want anything fermenting in my guts. The parasitic bacteria that inhabit the gut can fend for themselves — I have no desire to feed the little bloodsuckers.

But aside from that, when MC is active, we have trouble digesting sugars and carbs, and so some sugars and carbs end up in the colon, where they are fermented by bacteria, resulting in gas, bloating, cramps, and D. That alone is enough to turn off my desire to consume resistant starches. Besides, why bother to eat something if we can derive no nutrients from it?

That said, it's apparently a popular product among people who like to eat foods that provide no nutritional benefits. The logic behind anyone craving to eat a food that provides no benefits evades me. I reckon they just like to eat, whether there's any point to it or not.

So it's probably an appealing filler for anyone trying to lose weight. But for someone trying to gain (or maintain) weight, it's an extremely poor option. At least that's the way I see it.

Tex

[LauraAnn]

Thank you Tex for once again explaining things so I can get a handle on it. I totally agree that to eat something with no nutritional value is pointless. I also had not realized this would be a prebiotic and don't want to go that route at all! Thank you again for setting things straight in my head ( a head that is still a bit foggy on the uptake!).