Tag: Food

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15 Health Benefits of Raw Bananas and Why You Should Eat Them

By Dr. Tarique Naiyer Jamil in Internal Medicine

Mar 21, 2025

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. What Are Raw Bananas?
  2. 15 Health Benefits of Raw Bananas
  3. How to Eat Raw Bananas?
  4. Final Thoughts
  5. FAQs
  6. Citations

When you think of bananas, you probably imagine the ripe, sweet ones. But raw bananas—the unripe variety—are just as powerful when it comes to health benefits. Unlike their sweet friends, they’re packed with resistant starch, fibre, and essential nutrients that make them a game-changer for digestion, weight management, and overall health.

From supporting gut health to keeping blood sugar in check, the benefits of raw bananas are seriously underrated. In this blog, we’ll discuss the banana’s nutritional value, top health benefits, and the best ways to include it in your diet.

What Are Raw Bananas?

Raw bananas are merely unripe green bananas that are starchier, tougher, and less sweet than bananas when they are ripe. They’re popular in Indian, Thai, and Caribbean cooking, usually cooked into flavorful dishes, stir-fries, or even fried as chips.

What makes them special? It’s the amazing nutrients in raw bananas. The banana’s raw nutrition consists of:

  • Resistant starch – A special fibre that enhances digestion and aids in weight loss.
  • Potassium – Sustains muscle and heart function.
  • Vitamin C – Increases immunity and skin.
  • Vitamin B6 – Required for brain function and metabolism.
  • Magnesium – Aids muscle repair and bone development.

With so many nutrients in raw bananas, it’s little wonder that the benefits of eating raw bananas translate to numerous areas of health.

15 Health Benefits of Raw Bananas

Below are 15 awesome health benefits of raw bananas and why you should consume raw bananas daily:

1. Promotes Gut Health

One of the greatest benefits of raw bananas is that they enhance digestion. The resistant starch in raw bananas serves as a prebiotic, i.e., it provides the good bacteria in your stomach. These beneficial bacteria are responsible for food breakdown, nutrient absorption, and inhibiting bloating, gas, and constipation. [1] A proper gut microbiome also enhances immunity and inhibits digestive disorders like IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

2. Promotes Weight Loss

When dieting for weight reduction, raw bananas are to your rescue. The fibre and resistant starch content of raw bananas keep you satiated for longer, doing away with unwanted snacking. As opposed to ripe bananas, which contain more sugar, raw bananas contain complex carbohydrates, which get digested slowly, ensuring constant metabolism. Raw bananas also suppress insulin surges, leading to fat storage.

3. Regulates Blood Sugar Levels

For insulin-resistant individuals or diabetics, raw bananas are a smart food choice. The nutrients in raw bananas contain resistant starch, which does not break down the carbohydrates immediately. This results in a slow release of sugar into the bloodstream, thus avoiding sudden peaks and dumps. Eating them regularly enhances the sensitivity of insulin, allowing the body to control blood sugar levels naturally.

4. Improves Heart Health

Raw bananas are rich in potassium, which is a mineral that assists in maintaining blood pressure. Potassium controls the body’s sodium to avoid high blood pressure and also lightens the workload of the heart. Raw banana nutrients also control healthy cholesterol levels by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol) and raising HDL (good cholesterol), lowering the risk of stroke and heart disease. [2]

5. Controls Digestive Health

If you have digestive problems, incorporating raw bananas into your diet can be magical. High fibre content ensures smooth digestion and reduces the risk of constipation. Meanwhile, their resistant starch behaves like a natural equaliser, calming the digestive tract and warding off diarrhoea and bloating. Additionally, they are rich in tannins, which possess gentle astringent characteristics that cure loose stools. [3]

6. Enhances Insulin Sensitivity

Insulin sensitivity refers to how your cells absorb insulin and utilise glucose to produce energy. Insulin resistance is a primary cause of Type 2 diabetes. It has been found that raw bananas contain resistant starch, and consuming them makes one more insulin sensitive, thus adding them to the list as an ideal product for a diet-balanced diabetic life. [4] Regular consumption is said to fight insulin resistance and support the improved control of blood sugar levels.

7. Strengthens Bones

Raw bananas are rich in magnesium, a mineral that promotes calcium absorption and bone density. Raw bananas are also beneficial for preventing osteoporosis and ensuring healthy bones during old age. Magnesium has the function of contracting and relaxing muscles and hence is required for bone and muscle health in general.

8. Reduces Inflammation

Inflammation is the cause of most chronic conditions, such as arthritis, heart disease, and even cancer. [5] Raw bananas are a storehouse of antioxidants and vitamin C, which fight oxidative stress and reduce inflammation in the body. Raw bananas protect the body from cell damage by fighting free radicals, slowing down ageing, and making the body healthier.

9. Stimulates Brain Function

Raw bananas can also stimulate the brain. They contain vitamin B6, which is important for the synthesis of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine. These brain chemicals control mood, sleep, and thinking. Raw bananas can improve memory, focus, and overall mental health and cut the risk of neurological disorders. [6]

10. Helps Control Diarrhoea

Among the main benefits of eating raw bananas is that a raw banana helps relieve diarrhoea effectively. Raw bananas have high levels of pectin and tannins that work to remove excess water content from the intestines, compacting loose motions. Their electrolytes are also lost and have to be restored in the process. This explains why raw bananas have been particularly advocated as an unprocessed, organic remedy to deal with diarrhoea according to customary medicinal practices.

11. Keeps Kidney Stones Away

Kidney stones occur when calcium and other minerals tend to deposit themselves in the kidneys. The presence of potassium in raw bananas serves to prevent that by ensuring excessive calcium is being removed through the urine rather than deposited and forming stones. The magnesium in them also serves to maintain healthy kidneys and curb the risk of urinary tract infections (UTIs).

12. Offers Long-Term Energy

Unlike energy-crushing candies, raw bananas are a long-lasting source of energy. Their slow-digesting complex carbohydrates deliver energy throughout the day. This is a perfect pre-workout food since it provides you with the energy you require without overdriving your blood sugar levels.

13. Supports Skin Health

Raw bananas are beneficial for your skin as well! Antioxidants and vitamin C in raw bananas fight off free radicals, preventing premature ageing, keeping your skin shining and firm, and triggering skin elasticity and healing due to the production of collagen. Mashed raw bananas applied as a face pack can calm acne, redness, and dryness.

14. Aids Muscle Recovery

If you are getting muscle cramps or pain after exercising daily, raw bananas can be your resort. Raw bananas contain magnesium and potassium, which have a significant role in repairing muscles by inhibiting inflammation and cramps. Sports athletes and health-conscious people eat raw bananas to quicken recovery after exercise and enhance the functioning of muscles.

15. Naturally Gluten-Free

Raw bananas are a very good substitute for normal grains for individuals suffering from gluten intolerance or celiac disease. Raw bananas can be converted into gluten-free banana flour and can be consumed as an excellent wheat flour substitute while cooking. Raw bananas are thus a good and versatile source of sustenance for individuals seeking to do away with gluten intake yet achieve the taste of scrumptious and healthy foods.

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Rachel Allen’s Broccoli Soup with Dubliner Cheese Toasts @KerrygoldUSA #ballymaloe

video-broccoli

I adore this delicious and nutritious soup. It’s great either for family suppers or for a dinner party. The soup can be frozen and the Dubliner toasts prepared in advance, then grilled at the last moment. Ideal if you need a meal in an instant. Rachel Allen

Ingredients:
  • THE SOUP:
  • 2 tbsp Kerrygold Salted Butter
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 head of broccoli, with stalk
  • 3 1/2–4 1/4 cup hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • THE DUBLINER TOASTS:
  • 8 slices good-quality white bread
  • 3 oz Dubliner Cheese, finely grated
Directions:

 

Melt the butter in a medium to large saucepan, and add the potatoes and onion, salt and pepper. Cover with a piece of wax paper and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli florets from the stalk. Using a small knife, remove the outer layer of skin from the stalk and discard, then chop the stalk into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to the onion and potato, cover and sweat for a further 5 minutes.  Add the hot stock to the potatoes, onion and broccoli stalk, bring up to a boil, then add the chopped broccoli florets. Boil without the lid over a high heat for 4–5 minutes until soft, then add the cream. Remove from the heat, puree in a blender and season to taste.To make the Dubliner toasts, toast the bread on both sides, sprinkle with grated Dubliner Cheese and pop under a hot grill or into a hot oven for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Cut the toast into fingers and serve on the side with the soup.

 http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/broccoli-soup-with-dubliner-toasts/

 

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Spring Bread & Butter Pudding @KerrygoldUSA

Bread_and_Butter_Pudding__made_with_Kerrygold_Grass-Fed_Irish_Butter

Serves:  4-6

If you really want to show off to your guests, a gas gun or small propane torch can be used, with care, to glaze the top. If you don’t fancy using apricot jam as a glaze try marmalade or lemon curd instead. To make it even more delicious try making it with day-old croissants or brioche.

Ingredients:

  • 6 tbsp(3oz) Kerrygold Salted Butter, softened, extra for greasing
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup (8fl oz) milk
  • 1 cup (8fl oz) cream
  • finely grated rind and juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped out
  • 6 tbsp caster sugar
  • 9oz sliced white bread (about 9 slices)
  • ½ cup (3oz) ready-to-eat dried prunes, finely chopped
  • ½ cup (3oz) sultanas or raisins
  • good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
  • 4 tbsp apricot jam
  • pouring cream, to serve

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C), Gas mark 4 and lightly butter an ovenproof dish. Beat the eggs, milk and cream together in a large jug. Mix together the lemon rind and juice, vanilla seeds and sugar in a small bowl and then add to the egg mixture, beating lightly to combine.

Spread the slices of bread with the softened butter and cut off the crusts, then cut into triangles. Scatter half of the prunes and sultanas or raisins into the bottom of the buttered dish and arrange a layer of the bread triangles on top. Pour over half of the egg mixture, pressing it down gently, then repeat the layers with the remaining ingredients and sprinkle the nutmeg on top.

Place the dish into a large roasting tin and fill with warm water so that it comes three-quarters of the way up the dish. Carefully place in the oven and bake for 35-40 minutes until just set.

Remove the bread and butter pudding from the water bath to a wire rack. Heat the apricot jam in a small pan and then brush the top of the pudding.

To serve, cut the bread and butter pudding into slices and arrange on plates with the pouring cream.

http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/bread-butter-pudding

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Salmon Teriyaki Bowl with Broccoli and Avocado 🥑 @dunnesstores

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  • Healthy ✅ Tasty ✅ Affordable ✅ Try this tasty Salmon Teriyaki Bowl using ingredients from our own label range 😋

    Ingredients:
    1 tbsp sunflower or olive oil
    2 salmon fillets
    100ml teriyaki sauce
    200g broccoli, cut into florets
    1 avocado, sliced

    To serve:
    Basmati rice, cooked
    1 red chilli, sliced (optional)
    1 spring onion, sliced (optional)

    Method
    Marinate the salmon fillets for 10 minutes before cooking. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add in the oil.
    Once hot, brush most of the marinade from the salmon and cook skin side down on the pan for 3 minutes. Flip and cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from the pan and pour the remaining teriyaki sauce into the pan and cook for 2 minutes on a low heat.
    Meanwhile, steam or boil the broccoli until al dente.
    Serve the salmon on a bed of basmati rice along with the broccoli and avocado. Drizzle over with remaining sauce and garnish with chilli slices and spring onion.4d
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Neven’s no-bake hazelnut chocolate tart with citrus caramel from Neven’s Christmas, RTE One #Limerick

RTE logo

Neven Maguire

By Neven Maguire

Celebrity Chef

Watch Neven’s Christmas in Limerick on Thursday, 4 December on RTÉ One at 8pm.

Ingredients

In the first of this two-part special, Neven’s Christmas in Limerick, Neven Maguire prepares Smoked Salmon Galettes, Glazed Rack of Pork with Creamy Roast Potatoes, and No-Bake Chocolate Tart.

Serves 8-10

For The Tart

  • 300g Shortbread biscuits
  • 150g Butter
  • 1 Jar White Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
  • 200g Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 100g Milk Chocolate (38% cocoa solids)
  • 250ml Irish Jersey Cream

For The Citrus Caramel

  • 225g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp glucose (liquid or powdered)
  • 300ml orange juice
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 clementine

For Decorating

  • Amaretti Biscuits, to serve
  • Crème Fraiche, to serve
  • Sea Salt, to serve
  • Citrus Caramel, to serve

Method

For The Citrus Caramel

  1. Place the sugar, glucose and 250ml of water into a heavy-based, high-sided pot.
  2. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until you have achieved a golden caramel colour. The sugar syrup should be a thick honey consistency, but not too runny.
  3. Add the orange juice slowly, it will boil up vigorously, so take care at this point, whisk until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with a smooth syrup. Whisk in the vanilla seeds, lime juice and clementine juice.
  4. Set aside and allow to cool and use as required.

For The Tart

  1. Blitz the shortbread to a fine crumb (in a food processor or with a rolling pin and zip lock bag) and tip into a large bowl. Melt 100g of the butter in a small pan or in the microwave, then stir into the shortbread crumbs and mix until evenly combined. Press into the base and sides of a 10″ loose base tart tin.
  2. Open the jar of white chocolate hazelnut spread into the microwave for 10-20 seconds (or you can use a pan) to loosen it up, then give it a good stir until smooth. Pour about half of the jar on to the shortbread base and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly. Place in the fridge to chill down.
  3. To make the chocolate ganache, put the rest of the white chocolate hazelnut spread into a heatproof bowl along with the dark chocolate, milk chocolate and the remaining 50g of butter. Set over a pan of simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt.
  4. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream. Once the chocolate has melted completely add the warmed cream. Using a stick hand blender gently blend until combined and silky smooth. Pour into the prepared tart tin, place in the fridge for 2 hours until the ganache is set firm or overnight.
  5. Remove the tart from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. To serve, carefully unmould the tart and put on a plate or cake stand, decorate with the Amaretti biscuits (if desired) cut into slices and serve with a quenelle of crème fraiche and sprinkle of sea salt.

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DublinTown Christmas Lights Switch On At Bewley’s Grafton Street 🤶 🎅

DublinTown Christmas Lights Switch On At Bewley’s Grafton Street

It’s beginning to look a lot like the festive season following the big switch on of the stunning Grafton Street Christmas lights at Bewley’s Grafton Street on Thursday November 16th.

Erected by city centre business group Dublin Town, they were turned on by Little Blue Heroes Foundation representatives Willow Mae Carroll, seven, from Kells, Co Meath, and Cian Byrne, 10, from Finglas West, Dublin, who pushed the magic button.

The Foundation is a Garda charity supporting families of children with serious illnesses, while empowering the lives of young people through positive community engagement.

With only 34 days remaining to December 25, the switching on of the spectacular Grafton Street chandeliers, precedes the turning on of lights at Henry Street, South William Street, Capel Street and throughout the city centre.

In total, Dublin Town, which has been decorating the city centre at Christmas on behalf of businesses for 15 years, will provide energy-efficient Christmas lights across 25 streets in the city centre this year.

It takes 30 people, working through the night over four weeks, to erect the lights. All lighting used is low-energy LED, regulated by time clocks. The Grafton Street display uses one third of the electricity of a domestic shower. Every single bulb and fixture is tested by Dublin Town’s lighting contractor in advance of going up.

Bewley’s Grafton Street is delighted to partner with DublinTown as the venue for the Christmas Lights switch on and hope everyone gets to enjoy the sparkle over the upcoming festive season.

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Neven’s no-bake hazelnut chocolate tart with citrus caramel from Neven’s Christmas, RTE One #Limerick

RTE logo

Neven Maguire

By Neven Maguire

Celebrity Chef

Watch Neven’s Christmas in Limerick on Thursday, 4 December on RTÉ One at 8pm.

Ingredients

In the first of this two-part special, Neven’s Christmas in Limerick, Neven Maguire prepares Smoked Salmon Galettes, Glazed Rack of Pork with Creamy Roast Potatoes, and No-Bake Chocolate Tart.

Serves 8-10

For The Tart

  • 300g Shortbread biscuits
  • 150g Butter
  • 1 Jar White Chocolate Hazelnut Spread
  • 200g Dark Chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
  • 100g Milk Chocolate (38% cocoa solids)
  • 250ml Irish Jersey Cream

For The Citrus Caramel

  • 225g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp glucose (liquid or powdered)
  • 300ml orange juice
  • 1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • Juice of 1 clementine

For Decorating

  • Amaretti Biscuits, to serve
  • Crème Fraiche, to serve
  • Sea Salt, to serve
  • Citrus Caramel, to serve

Method

For The Citrus Caramel

  1. Place the sugar, glucose and 250ml of water into a heavy-based, high-sided pot.
  2. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until you have achieved a golden caramel colour. The sugar syrup should be a thick honey consistency, but not too runny.
  3. Add the orange juice slowly, it will boil up vigorously, so take care at this point, whisk until the sugar has dissolved and you are left with a smooth syrup. Whisk in the vanilla seeds, lime juice and clementine juice.
  4. Set aside and allow to cool and use as required.

For The Tart

  1. Blitz the shortbread to a fine crumb (in a food processor or with a rolling pin and zip lock bag) and tip into a large bowl. Melt 100g of the butter in a small pan or in the microwave, then stir into the shortbread crumbs and mix until evenly combined. Press into the base and sides of a 10″ loose base tart tin.
  2. Open the jar of white chocolate hazelnut spread into the microwave for 10-20 seconds (or you can use a pan) to loosen it up, then give it a good stir until smooth. Pour about half of the jar on to the shortbread base and use the back of a spoon to spread it out evenly. Place in the fridge to chill down.
  3. To make the chocolate ganache, put the rest of the white chocolate hazelnut spread into a heatproof bowl along with the dark chocolate, milk chocolate and the remaining 50g of butter. Set over a pan of simmering water and allow the chocolate to melt.
  4. In a small saucepan, gently heat the cream. Once the chocolate has melted completely add the warmed cream. Using a stick hand blender gently blend until combined and silky smooth. Pour into the prepared tart tin, place in the fridge for 2 hours until the ganache is set firm or overnight.
  5. Remove the tart from the fridge 30 minutes before serving. To serve, carefully unmould the tart and put on a plate or cake stand, decorate with the Amaretti biscuits (if desired) cut into slices and serve with a quenelle of crème fraiche and sprinkle of sea salt.

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Delish Oats a good way to have a Great Day #Flahavans #therapeutic


flahavans
No excuses… healthy and delicious porridge is the perfect way to start these cold Monday mornings! Warm and comforting, this quick and easy recipe takes just minutes to prepare, so whether you have breakfast at home or deskside, make sure it’s as tasty as it is pretty! Add some grated apple, pecan nuts, cinnamon and maple syrup to your morning porridge pot and take a minute to savour just how good it tastes! #BreakfastInspo #FlahavansOats

Serves 1|Takes 5 minutes

Ingredients

1 x Flahavan’s Quick Oats Pot
Whole Milk (as per instructions on pack)
1 Large Red Apple
Cinnamon Powder
Maple Syrup
5-10g Pecan Nuts

Method:

Prepare the porridge as per the instructions on the Flahavan’s Quick Oats pot

Topping:
Cut the apple into thin slices and then into matchsticks.
Prepare your porridge, and add the apple as topping long with a sprinkling of cinnamon and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Chop pecan nuts into thin pieces and sprinkle on top.
21h
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Odlums Christmas Plum Pudding (Light Recipe)

Christmas Plum Pudding (Light Recipe)

CategoryChristmas

Cook Time5 hours

What you need:

  • 75g/3oz Odlums Self Raising Flour
  • 175g/6oz Shamrock Light Brown Sugar
  • 175g/6oz Margarine
  • 3 Eggs (lightly beaten)
  • 1 teaspoon Mixed Spice
  • 500g packet Shamrock Luxury Fruit Mix
  • 1 Apple (grated)
  • 100g packet Shamrock Ground Almonds
  • 175g/6oz Breadcrumbs
  • 1 bottle Stout (1/2 pint)

How to:

  1. Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.
  2. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix well.
  3. Stir in the sieved flour and mixed spice.
  4. Next add the fruit mix, grated apple and ground almonds. Mix well.
  5. Finally, add the breadcrumbs and bottle of stout.
  6. Stir well, cover and leave to stand overnight. Transfer to a 3 pint greased pudding bowl. Steam for 5 hours.

To steam pudding in oven:

  1. Put two long strips of tin foil crosswise on work top or table. Place roasting tin on foil. Sit pudding bowl into the tin and fill with boiling water to within 1″ of top of tin. Then bring tin foil around to form a parcel, which should be airtight to prevent any steam escaping.
  2. Place in preheated oven at 150°C/300°F/Gas 2 for the same length of time as above. There is no need to top up with water during cooking.

Recipe Notes:

The quantities may be doubled if more than one pudding is required.