Most people have some idea of the health benefits of bananas. The fruit is a store of essential minerals, vitamins, antioxidants and fibre, so eating bananas regularly can help keep the body healthy.

Yet even this useful fruit is the subject of debate. One camp believes the raw banana is the king of goodness and that ripe bananas offer little benefit.

The other camp says raw bananas are indeed good, but they cannot come close to ripe bananas in taste or goodness. So which has more health benefits, raw or ripe?

According to experts, eating ripe bananas regularly provides several nutrients. They contain essential vitamins and minerals such as vitamin C, vitamin B6 and magnesium.

Not only that, the familiar ripe banana is a mine of antioxidants, so eating it regularly keeps several diseases away.

The fruit is also a store of energy. When your body's energy battery runs low, you can eat a banana to recharge fully and get through a busy day.

Raw or unripe bananas are a store of vitamins and minerals such as vitamin B6, magnesium, potassium and manganese, which makes them excellent for keeping the body healthy.

Eating them regularly can help bring blood pressure and blood sugar under control. The fibre they contain can also reduce constipation and chronic diarrhoea, so raw bananas are useful for relieving stomach complaints as well.

Raw bananas are eaten as a vegetable and ripe bananas as a fruit, so each kind has its own qualities. To stay healthy you can eat both.

This can help you avoid several chronic diseases. But remember that cooking can destroy the vitamin C in bananas.

So if you want to make up for a shortage of this vitamin, eat ripe bananas as fruit, and you will see the benefit quickly. Raw bananas, on the other hand, are best for people with diabetes.

However, do not eat bananas or other fruit on a full stomach. Instead, eat fruit one or two hours after a meal. That way you will get the benefit and can avoid several diseases.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.