Contrary to what you may naturally assume, eating unripe fruit has many surprising health benefits. While at first it may be difficult for your brain to get past the green color of unripe bananas, eating them can provide you with the health benefits associated with digestive-resistant starch, which composes 70-80% of its dry weight. Bananas aren’t the only unripe fruit you should be eating for digestive health benefits – papaya and mango also top the list, all of which can be found at Livonia Glatt Market.

EATING UNRIPE FRUIT BENEFITS
While most people don’t like the texture and taste of eating unripe fruit, there are ways to prepare and other foods to pair them with to improve taste. Finding ways to prepare unripe fruits can help you take advantage of the health benefits, which include:

Higher amounts of digestive-resistant starch, which is important for gut and digestive health
Unripe fruits are higher in fiber than their ripe counterparts
Used to treat digestive disorders, including indigestion, gastric juice deficiency and more
Most unripe fruits contain high levels of potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6
Unripe fruits generally aren’t as sweet as their ripe counterparts and have a lower sugar content (This would be a good option if you are diabetic)
GREEN BANANAS
Green bananas can be used to safely treat diarrhea in children and adults
Resistant starch in green bananas can increase the fat burning process, as the body uses carbohydrates to fuel itself
Resistant starch helps increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, which can be helpful for type 2 diabetes patients
GREEN PAPAYA
Green papaya is high in fiber and papain, an enzyme that helps with protein digestion and lessens inflammation
Women with irregular menstrual cycles may benefit from unripe papaya juice as it promotes uterine muscle contractions (pregnant women may want to avoid it for this same reason)
GREEN MANGO
Vitamin C content in an unripe mango is higher than in a ripe one
Green mango can be used to treat gastrointestinal disorders such as indigestion, constipation, diarrhea, morning sickness and more when eaten with salt and honey
Unripe mango can help with liver problems, including an increase in bile secretion
Acids can act as an intestinal antiseptic
Purifies the blood and acts as a liver tonic
Eaten with honey and pepper helps stomach aches due to poor digestion, hives and jaundice
Aids absorption of iron and decreases bleeding
The next time you’re out grocery shopping in LA at Livonia Glatt Market, it may be to your benefit to choose the unripe fruit over the ripe. It could end up helping your belly and digestive health.

Sources:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2016/07/04/unripe-banana-papaya-mango-benefits.aspx

http://www.stethnews.com/2215/health-benefits-of-eating-unripe-fruits/