Banana flour is an excellent source of a prebiotic known as resistant starch (RS). This is the stuff that the good bacteria in our gut eat, and there is evidence that RS may even help eject some of the unwanted bacteria in our gut. As a result, getting plenty of RS is essential to maintaining a healthy gut biome, which we need to support all aspects of our health, including maintaining a healthy metabolism and immune system.
Paleo and Carbohydrates
As you might be able to guess from it’s name, RS is a form of carbohydrate. This alone would be enough to send many a Paleo enthusiast running for the hills, but there’s more to it than that. Because it’s fiber, RS doesn’t fly through our system the way most carbs do. On the contrary, they take their time in our digestive tracts so they can be fermented by our gut bacteria. The result is that including sufficient RS in your diet can actually lower blood sugar levels, improve glucose tolerance, increase satiety, and improve body composition by promoting fat oxidation.
As a Baking Flour
Baking with banana flour is certainly one option, although getting the desired consistency out of it can be pretty tough, if not impossible, without mixing it with other flours. Baking also kills a lot of the RS, although cooling it brings the RS back, so eating a banana flour muffin fresh out of the oven might not be such a great idea.
As a Supplement
If you’re looking to use banana flour as an RS supplement, a tablespoon or two added to a glass of sparkling water can be an effective way to get your RS in without having to put up with the chalky texture of banana flour alone.
For more reasons to include RS in your diet, check out what Mark Sisson has to say on the subject.
