Is banana flour worth the hype? - Microbiome Insight
Have you heard of green banana flour?
If not, I think you’re going to love this one.
One thing I’m always thinking about when it comes to gut health is: How can we nourish our microbiome?
One way is with resistant starch.
Unlike regular starch, resistant starch “resists” digestion in the small intestine. That means more of it makes its way to the colon, where certain gut microbes can ferment it and produce beneficial compounds called short-chain fatty acids—including butyrate.
Why does butyrate matter?
Butyrate is an important fuel source for the cells lining your colon, and it plays a role in supporting the intestinal barrier and a healthy gut.
Beans and legumes are one way to get resistant starch into your diet.
But let’s be honest...
Most of us don’t want to eat beans every single day.
Enter one of my favorite versatile ingredients:
It’s made from unripe bananas, which are naturally rich in resistant starch.
And before you think, “I don’t want my pancakes tasting like bananas...”
They don’t!
Green banana flour has virtually no flavor. It doesn’t taste like banana, which means you can use it in all kinds of recipes.
To get you started, I’m sharing two delicious ones:
Green Banana Flour Pancakes These are SO good, and I promise they don’t taste like bananas.
Because supporting your gut microbes can absolutely involve chocolate chips.
One important note before you dig in...
Resistant starch can be a pretty powerful prebiotic, especially if your gut isn’t used to getting much of it.
So start low and go slow.
Try one pancake or one cookie to start and see how your body responds. Eating a lot at once may leave you feeling rather... gassy.
And if even a small amount leaves you feeling uncomfortable, don’t assume you just need to push through it. There can be many reasons someone doesn't tolerate a particular fermentable carbohydrate well, and sometimes a more gradual, personalized approach makes sense.
That’s exactly why we created our Microbiome Program.
Instead of guessing which foods you “should” be eating, the program helps you get more insight into your individual microbiome and gives you a personalized plan for supporting it.
Because when it comes to the gut, more isn’t always better, and everyone’s starting point is different.
Give one of these recipes a try and hit reply to tell me what you think!
And if you already use green banana flour, I’d love to know your favorite way to use it.
Happy baking!
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