Does A Banana's Nutrition Change as it Ripens?

Everybody has a preference for when a banana is perfect. But does the nutrition of a banana change as it goes from green and firm to brown and soft? In short, yes. Let’s take a look at what happens:

🍌Starch and Sweetness - Green bananas are full of complex carbohydrates and as they ripen they’re broken down into simple sugars which makes them sweeter.

🍌Glycemic Index - A riper banana that has lower starch content and a higher amount of sugar can be digested quicker, but that means it’s higher on the Glycemic Index.

🍌Antioxidant Levels - The brown spots on a ripe banana are from the chlorophyll breaking down into antioxidants. Green bananas do not have these antioxidant properties.

🍌Calories - Even though lots of other things change, the calories stay the same in a banana whether it’s green, yellow, or brown.

🍌Digestion - A ripe banana is easier to digest, but a more green banana is higher in resistant starches that you can’t digest and act as prebiotics.

🍌Potassium - Potassium amounts pretty much stay the same regardless of the ripeness of a banana.

🍌Vitamins and Minerals - Micronutrients like vitamin C, thiamin, and folic acid decrease as a banana ripens.