Plantains, also known as Platanos, belong to the Musaceae family. Having same look like bananas, plantains are bigger in size and cannot be eaten raw like bananas.
Plantains, which are treated as vegetables, are good, healthy and a very popular food choice. For some persons, a day isn’t complete without having to enjoy a meal garnished with any recipe of plantain.
Grown in tropical countries across the globe, from central and South America to the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia, plantains can be enjoyed fried, cooked, or grilled and enjoyed with say fish or any other delicacy.
The nutritional value of this staple food stands it out amongst other meal choices. It could be enjoyed either in the unripe form or when ripe.
It is said to be a rich source of fibre, Vitamins A, C, and B6, Potassium, Iron, and much more nutrients that are highly beneficial to the human body.
Aside from also having an advantage of versatility in preparing it, it is also available all-year-round and cheap too.
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However, plantains in its unripe form are said to be more nutritious, especially for persons with diabetes, and better when cooked or grilled, than when fried, especially in an unhealthy oil. This is so because an unhealthy oil, can do much damage to the heart.
Plantains also pass for a rich source of complex carbohydrates, which makes it filling, hence a good choice of food for persons, who intend to manage their weight.
In specific terms, here are some of the advantages you may enjoy when you eat plantain.
1. Gain nutrients that will benefit the heart, the intestine, the arteries and more.
2. Good for digestive health, as the fibre in plantain promotes regular bowel movement.
3. May reduce risk of hemorrhoids due to the high fibre content.
4. Plantains are excellent for weight management. This is because the carbohydrates in plantain aren’t necessarily bad. The carbohydrates in plantain are complex carbohydrates, which takes longer time to digest than simple carbohydrates. Hence, you remain fuller for long.
5. Plantains give a generous amount of the recommended vitamin C needed daily. This vitamin C acts as antioxidants, which may help boost immune system and protect the body from free radicals associated with ageing, heart diseases, and some types of cancer.
6. This staple food benefits the heart greatly, as the high amount of potassium found in plantain is essential in maintaining the cell and body fluids that control your heart rate and blood pressure.
7. The fibre in plantain also lowers your blood cholesterol, which also helps the heart to keep functioning well.
8. Unripe plantain is a great source of Vitamin A, B6, and C, which helps for better vision, better skin complexion and immunity against diseases.
9. It can prevent ulcer, when in its unripe form.
10. Unripe plantain is a great meal for persons with diabetes. Today in Nigeria, people even blend unripe plantain, prepare as swallow, and enjoy it with a soup of their choice.
11. The iron in plantain helps build and strengthen stronger bones, especially with unripe plantain.
12. Plantain can be used to treat anemia and neuritis (inflammation of the nerve)
13. It boosts sexual performance through increased libido.
14. There is also versatility in how plantain is prepared and enjoyed.
There may be more health benefits that come with eating plantain. It is, however, important to know that as healthy as plantain may be, eating it alone does not pass for a balanced diet.
A balanced diet, will always do the body more good, than a single food or fruit.
