Raw banana flour - a new carb free snack

Raw banana flour - a new carb free snack

Raw banana bhajjis or fritters and spicy raw banana chips have always been our favourite snack and the best accompaniment with masala chai on a rainy day. In the states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal raw banana has been used as a vegetable to make curries and also as baby food.

 

But have you heard of raw banana flour? It is as healthy as the fruit and the flour doesn't  even smell or taste like raw bananas. The health concious millennial are now opting for this gluten and carb free flour for both cooking and baking.

 

Raw banana flour was used widely in African countries from time immemorial as a cost effective alternative to cereal flours. It was also given to babies.

 

Senior consultant nutritionist Dr P. Janaki Srinath informs, “ Raw banana flour can be used as an alternative to all purpose flour and especially for baking where wheat flour is a must.” Your cakes will turn out much lighter and fluffier. Since it is carb free and gluten free you can enjoy a guilt-free sinful dessert everyday. She further adds, “Raw banana flour can also be used to make jowar and ragi flour cakes, chapatis and breads. It is a healthy alternative to regular flour for those who suffer from irritable bowel syndrome and celiac disease.”

 

You will have a healthy gut in the long run if you make raw banana flour a part of your daily diet.

 

What makes raw banana flour so versatile is that it requires less proccessing, it is preservative free, the best alternative to carb rich grains and it is gluten-free which renders baked products its desired sponginess. Since this flour is neutral in taste, you can use it is as a thickener instead of using cornflour or refined flour.

 

The proccess of making raw banana flour traditionally involves cutting, peeling, sundrying the raw bananas and then putting it into mechanical grinding process.

 

In industries, huge machines do the work of proccessing raw banana flours and here even the nutrient rich peels are also used. The peel of the green banana is rich in minerals and it has been used to cure several diseases. Making flour out of green bananas also controls food wastage.

 

Raw banana flour is a resistant starch which means it is a kind of starch that are not digested or absorbed in the upper digestive tract so they pass to the larger bowel. The resistant starch present in green banana is the richest since it contains inulin soluble fibre, dietary fibre and fermentable fibre. It helps to clear the waste from your intestines. It can also prevent colon cancer.

 

The resistant starch in green banana increases the beneficial acidophilus bacteria in the gut so green banana flour is beneficial for those who suffer from :

 

  Constipation

 

  Diarrhoea

 

 Colitis amd  ulcerative colitis,

 

  Gastric ulcer

 

 Uremia

 

 Nephritis

 

  Gout

 

Green banana flour is terms as a peribiotic food.

 

The Resistant Starch Type 2 is present in green banana flour which is not easily assimilated in the body and it helps in reducing postprandial glycemic and insulinemic levels. It is good for the diabetic.

 

Nutritional qualities:

 

  Energy dense food helps to satiate hunger and makes one feel full.

 

  Helps to avoid binge eating.

 

  Rich in potassium, magnesium, zinc and Vitamin B3 and B6.

 

  It contains serotonin (5THP) which helps to reduce anxiety, maintains sleep, keeps one energetic and happy.

 

  Helps to control inflammation, helps in the absorption of anitoxidants, minerals and also provides calcium to the body.

 

  Helps to reduce triglycerides and cholestrol levels in the body.

 

How must you introduce the food into the system?

 

Start with half tablespoon of green banana flour as it might take some time for your gut flora to adjust to it. Once your gut is adjusted to green banana flour you can add one heaped tablespoon to any food you have on a daily basis.

 

In India presently raw banana flour is more expensive compared to other regular flours. Once people realise its nutritional value it will be accepted widely as a regular part of the daily diet and thus its demand will grow.