When is a banana ripe enough to not cause constipation?
This might seem like a funny question, but it actually is not.
My 13 month old daughter started to have constipation and we were trying to figure out what it could have been.
While researching, I found out that you need to stay away from BRAT (Bananas, Rice, Apples, Toast)...the combo that helps you when you have diarrhea. Those four things are actually her favorite. We started to reduce the amount of bananas (she really loved 'nanas') and the others, too and that seemed to do the trick. Upon further research supposedly ripe bananas do not cause constipation.
So my question is...how ripe does a banana have to be so as to not contribute to constipation?
UPDATE
www.raw-food-health.net/Bananas-Constipation.html - here's a good reference that talks about ripeness and effects on constipation.
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It's not a matter of ripeness, if you feed her a banana you're feeding her a banana. The BRATY diet is fine even when a child is well, you just need to make sure she's drinking enough fluids.
Kids often don't feel thirsty, or recognize it when they are, you have to remind them to drink. Make sure there's water available to her, and remind her to drink. Constipation is often more a result of dehydration then diet.
In this article on Ehow.com, it is the ripeness of banana that will determine if it can cause constipation or not. Green or unripened bananas can cause constipation because it is full of heavy starches that exacerbate constipation. Whereas, a ripe banana has fiber content which helps in removing the stool in the intestinal tract, so it helps in relieving constipation.
To wait until the banana has "black dots" throughout the surface of its peel, the fruit is already over-ripe and tastes like something you might have dug out of your composting bin!
I find as an adult that I can consume bananas in various stages of ripeness as well as several medications that cause constipation, and wash it all down with a few healthy gulps of Diet Coke (a diuretic) provided that I supplement these dehydrating and constipating substances with one basic, easily accessible food... dates. I eat a couple of fresh cooking dates (available in the bulk section of my local supermarket) every day and my once chronic constipation is a thing of the past! Ergo, let your kids eat bananas the way they like them and eat the foods they enjoy without restriction based on constipation-related concerns as long as their diet is regularly supplemented with dates and they're drinking plenty of water throughout the course of the day.
The answers above are all misleading. Green bananas are highly beneficial in alleviating constipation. Why? Because green bananas are high in resistant starch. Resistant starch feeds the gut bacteria in your large intestine and promotes regular bowel movement. Once bananas turn yellow the resistant starch is turned into regular starch and sugars.
An unripe banana will lead to constipation.
There are 2 factors when considering bananas and constipation:
starch vs. simple sugars:
A green banana with some yellow is 80% starch and 7% sugar.
A mostly yellow banana is 25% starch and 65% sugar.
A spotted and specked banana is 5% starch and 90% sugar.
Starch is significantly harder to break down & digest than sugar.
pectin vs. pectinase:
As bananas ripen they produce ethylene gas.
Ethylene causes the production of an enzyme called pectinase.
Pectinase breaks down the pectin between the cells of a banana.
Less pectin makes it considerably soften and easier for the body to digest.
So unless you or your child has diarrhea, let your bananas get very soft :)
According to Skeptics.SE: never. Banana's ripeness has almost no effect on constipation.
skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/13907/does-the-ripeness-of-a-banana-have-any-effect-on-causing-constipation/13911#13911
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