The Green Plantain, Ti nain, Poyo, Matoke...

Plantain or Musa Parasidiaca for biologists, or simply plantain, is native to Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America.

It is part of the family of musaceae, this species is the fruit of a mixture between two species: Musa Acuminata and Musa Balbisiana.

Plantain is not eaten as a dessert, like other banana species. But it is cooked or boiled to accompany different local dishes. The green banana is the one that becomes the dessert banana when it goes through the maturation process. The green banana is antiulcerative.

It can protect the gastric mucosa with its molecules, called pectins and flavonoids. That is why when you have a stomach ache you are told to eat the green banana. Leucocyanidine, a flavonoid extracted from plantain bananas, also reduces the risk of erosion of the lining of the stomach after aspirin treatment. So plantain reduces the likelihood of an ulcer. Plantain bananas would also be an important source of several phenolic compounds that would be well absorbed by the body. In the skin of the banana we will find dopamine which is a neurotransmitter that will influence the behavior.

Dopamine is also responsible for enzymatic browning when the banana is cut into slices. Resistant starches that contain very little sugar, there are about 28 grams of starch these starches will be digested by the banana enzymes we are talking here about the maturation of the banana then when the banana will ripen and well the starch will gradually form the sugars.

So in a green banana we have very little sugar. The resistant starch decreased the absorption of sugars consumed at the same time, resulting in a decrease in blood sugar. In addition, regular consumption of resistant starch would lead to a greater increase in ghrelin in meals, a hormone that has been associated with improved insulin sensitivity.

Plantain contains more resistant starch than sweet bananas. In addition, as the banana matures, the amount of resistant starch decreases to such an extent that only bananas that have not reached their optimum ripening stage would contain significant amounts of resistant starch. Some of the starch will not be digested into glucose so will not increase the glycemia. These resistant starches will arrive in our colon and will therefore feed the billions of intestinal bacteria and maintain our intestinal flower.

This resistant starch, a compound that causes weight loss in people with obesity. And in diabetic patients, this property helps cells better to absorb insulin. You knew that if you want to quit smoking: you want to quit smoking but nothing does. Bananas can help. It is rich in vitamin B, including B6 and B12. These two vitamins combined with the potassium and magnesium of the banana, helps the body to feel less nicotine deficiency. SOURCE OF VITAMIN B6 (pyridoxine) Manganese Vitamin B9 (folate) Vitamin C Copper Magnesium Potassium Its energy intake is of the order of 120 kcalories (500 kJoules) per 100 g of cooked plantain. Due to the strong dominance of complex carbohydrates (starch), and a high level of fibre (5.8 g to 100 g), this energy is gradually released into the body. Plantain can thus play the role of basic carbohydrate in the diet. It also has another advantage; it has a good capacity to satisfy your appetite. That said all the qualities of the green banana gives us more reason to consume more.