Do Bananas Cause or Relieve Constipation?

 Whether mashed, blended, or sliced, bananas are sweet and nutritious. However, whether or not the yellow fruit cause or relieve constipation is still a debatable subject.  To clear up the air, whether eating bananas will make you poop or stop your digestion depends on their ripeness. Below are the stages of bananas that can cause or relieve constipation.

Green Bananas

At this stage, the bananas are unripe. Green or unripe bananas are a good source of prebiotics (specialized plant fibers). However, at this stage, they contain a very high amount of starch that is hard to digest. Therefore, taking a green banana is likely to leave you constipated.

Yellow Bananas

At this stage, the banana is ripe and yellow. At this point, the hard-to-digest starch has broken down to simple sugars and the banana is easier to digest.  It also contains high quantities of antioxidants and digests quickly.  Additionally, at this stage, the banana contains soluble fiber that backs up your digestion. Therefore, the fact that yellow bananas are low in resistant starch helps you stay consistent.

Brown Bananas

Like yellow bananas, brown bananas continue losing hard-to-digest starch over time. At this stage, brown bananas contain high amounts of carbohydrates and sugars. Also, they contain the highest amounts of antioxidants.  At this point, the bananas are at their sweetest, meaning your banana smoothie is absolutely okay. Therefore, you can eat the brown guys as much as you want and still stay consistent.

Conclusion

Bananas contain different nutritional values at each stage. Green bananas contain high amounts of hard-to-digest starches. For this reason, they can lead to constipation. On the other hand, yellow and brown bananas contain low amounts of hard-to-digest starches. Therefore, they are easier to digest and help you poop or rather stay consistent.

To remain consistent, avoid the green guys at all cost!