# Are Green Bananas safe to eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 20, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847 "2013-02-20T01:55:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/1 "2013-02-20T01:55:45Z")
A lot of fruit will give you the shits if you eat them green. How about bananas? I’ve always waited until most of the green is gone before eating them. What would happen if you ate green (unripe) bananas? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/2 "2013-02-20T02:11:25Z")
Actually, I thought some parts of the world do eat them when they are green. [Yahoo, which does sometimes employ health-nutzos, says it’s fine.](http://voices.yahoo.com/the-health-benefits-green-bananas-6370848.html?cat=5) ---
**Author:** ![GaryM](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garym/32/241_2.png) [@GaryM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GaryM)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/3 "2013-02-20T02:15:19Z")
Taste kind of starchy in my opinion, but slice and fry in some butter and then they’re great. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/4 "2013-02-20T03:30:11Z")
I’ve had trouble lately with green bananas ripening almost over night. Sometimes they’ll even get the brown spots on the skin and yet there’s still green on the skin too. 😕 I hate getting caught with five or six bananas that are ripening faster than I can eat them. I don’t like them after they get too ripe and are mushy. I bought a bunch today and ate one that was riper (greener) than I’d normally eat. It was a little bitter and starchy. Probably should have waited a day before eating one. Hope I don’t get the shits. They weren’t super green or anything. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/5 "2013-02-20T08:22:09Z")
Assuming bananas work the same as plantains, there’s nothing wrong with eating them green - they’re just going to be much starchier, like a potato, and not very sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/6 "2013-02-20T12:54:54Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve had trouble lately with green bananas ripening almost over night. Sometimes they’ll even get the brown spots on the skin and yet there’s still green on the skin too. 😕 > > I hate getting caught with five or six bananas that are ripening faster than I can eat them. I don’t like them after they get too ripe and are mushy. I also dislike overripe bananas. When they get that way, though, they are still good in smoothies or banana bread. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/7 "2013-02-20T13:46:40Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > Assuming bananas work the same as plantains, there’s nothing wrong with eating them green - they’re just going to be much starchier, like a potato But **do not** eat a green potato. Them is [pisonous](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/health/nutrition/03real.html?_r=0). ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Panda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ee7513/32.png) [@Darth\_Panda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Panda)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/8 "2013-02-20T14:07:15Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > But **do not** eat a green potato. Them is [pisonous](http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/03/health/nutrition/03real.html?_r=0). Yeah, I think the Green Potato was the Green Lantern’s pison. Or was that the Green Hornet? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/9 "2013-02-20T14:18:34Z")
They’re certainly safe, but as others have noted they taste better when ripe. > [@aceplace57](#): > > A lot of fruit will give you the shits if you eat them green. Never experienced this or even heard of it. Bulbs (like garlic) turn bitter if they’re kept until they turn green, and potatoes shouldn’t be eaten if they’ve turned green (already noted above). Basically I wouldn’t eat anything that started growing again. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/10 "2013-02-20T14:32:07Z")
I’ve always been told unripe peaches, plums, figs, tomatoes, and apples are known to give tummy aches. This article even claims a worse problem. [10 Foods That Can Literally Kill You!!!](http://www.urbantitan.com/10-foods-that-can-kill-you/) > [@](#): > > Yes that’s right – fruit. That of which is supposed to make up your 5-a-day can harm you in other ways. Take apples for example; taking a bite out of an apple may keep the dentist away but it may not keep a vomiting fit at bay if you eat too many. Apples contain cyanide, too much of which can kill you. Unripe peaches can kill you as well, such as they did to King John in 1216. He ate far too many unripe peaches and passed away from dysentery. Cherries are another potentially deadly fruit. If the seed inside a cherry is damaged in any way, even if you were to bite into it, releases prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide), which can result in death. ---
**Author:** ![standingwave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9de0a6/32.png) [@standingwave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/standingwave)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/11 "2013-02-20T14:52:39Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I hate getting caught with five or six bananas that are ripening faster than I can eat them. I don’t like them after they get too ripe and are mushy. Once they’re ripe, I pop them the fridge. (Note that they won’t ripen in the fridge.) As long as you don’t care what the skin looks like, the fruit will be fine for a week or so. ---
**Author:** ![Jenaroph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e8c25b/32.png) [@Jenaroph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jenaroph)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/12 "2013-02-20T15:18:43Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve always been told unripe peaches, plums, figs, tomatoes, and apples are known to give tummy aches. This article even claims a worse problem. > > [10 Foods That Can Literally Kill You!!!](http://www.urbantitan.com/10-foods-that-can-kill-you/) In that article, the danger is seriously overstated. The way it’s written, it sounds like biting into a single cherry seed will kill you instantly. Truth is, you’d need to chow down on a cup or more of either cherry or apple seeds to get a lethal dose of cyanide. Not a cup of the fruit, a cup of the seeds themselves. ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/13 "2013-02-20T15:21:49Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Once they’re ripe, I pop them the fridge. (Note that they won’t ripen in the fridge.) Or, peel them and put them in the freezer, then make the banana smoothie mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/14 "2013-02-20T15:45:21Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > They’re certainly safe, but as others have noted they taste better when ripe. > > Never experienced this or even heard of it. > > Bulbs (like garlic) turn bitter if they’re kept until they turn green, and potatoes shouldn’t be eaten if they’ve turned green (already noted above). Basically I wouldn’t eat anything that started growing again. Er, bananas are green when they are unripe. It is a quite different case from potatoes and garlic, which can turn green if they are too far past ripeness. I often eat bananas with a little bit of green on them. The window of opportunity when they are at perfect ripeness is just too short. It has never done me any harm (he said). ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Bloom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leo_bloom/32/10377_2.png) [@Leo\_Bloom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Bloom)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/15 "2013-02-20T15:50:12Z")
> [@](#): > > ..Cherries are another potentially deadly fruit. If the seed inside a cherry is damaged in any way, even if you were to bite into it, releases prussic acid (hydrogen cyanide), which can result in death. Goering’s method. I can’t find the current thread on this topic. \ ---
**Author:** ![What\_the](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f4b2a3/32.png) [@What\_the](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_the)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/16 "2013-02-20T15:50:48Z")
FWIW, those banana hangers do the job! They ripen sooner, more evenly and stay relatively solid even when the skin has started to develop the brown spots. I’d say you can get 2-3 extra days out of a bunch. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/17 "2013-02-20T16:37:06Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I’ve always been told unripe peaches, plums, figs, tomatoes, and apples are known to give tummy aches. This article even claims a worse problem. > > [10 Foods That Can Literally Kill You!!!](http://www.urbantitan.com/10-foods-that-can-kill-you/) Tomatoes are quite commonly eaten green. Fried green tomatoes. Pickled green tomatoes. I’ve even used then for a tart salsa when I didn’t feel like waiting for them to ripen. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/18 "2013-02-20T17:17:42Z")
Unripe bananas taste terrible, but they’re not dangerous. (My grandfather always used to say they’d give you a bellyache) I like mine ripe, because they’re sweeter. However, even if that were true, a mild case of the trots isn’t going to kill you. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/19 "2013-02-20T18:29:44Z")
Trying to peel an unripe banana is like trying to peel a golf ball! And you’ll get this pitch-like crap all over your hands that is almost impossible to remove. I prefer my nanners on the green side. Once they are completely yellow, they are overripe. Bananas always seem to reach the perfect stage of ripedity while I’m asleep… ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2013, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847/20 "2013-02-20T19:39:45Z")
If by ‘green banana’ you mean [matoke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matoke), then, yes, [that can kill you](http://www.cabdirect.org/abstracts/19712900896.html;jsessionid=E5A7B398E875D4065B6FBB2FE786522A?gitCommit=4.13.20-5-ga6ad01a): > [@](#): > > Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a myocardiopathy which is a common cause of death from heart failure in parts of tropical Africa, where the diet is based mainly on plantain (matoke) or bananas. Such diets are usually low in protein which is of poor quality, and plantains are a rich source of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5HT). This suggests a dietary cause for the disease and these two papers investigate this possibility. > > i. The first paper presents the result of a survey of the levels of the 5HT in the platelets in various groups of people in Africa and in hospital patients with or without EMF. Mean values for platelet 5HT were the same in all communities studied, but the scatter of the values was much greater in the matoke eaters, some of whom had very high levels. Values in all types of hospital patients were slightly below those found in the healthy communities. A significant rise in platelet 5HT occurred in 8 Africans after a matoke meal. [And more, including the relevance to Fen-Phen (remember that?).](http://yarchive.net/med/fen-phen.html) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-green-bananas-safe-to-eat/650847.md?page=2)