Green Banana Flour: Benefits, Science & Why We Don’t Use It Anymore

Green banana flour (sometimes labelled green banana powder) has become a popular ingredient among gut‑health enthusiasts. It’s prized for its high resistant starch content and its ability to act like dietary fibre. Before you dive into this trend, it’s important to understand what green banana flour is, why it’s beneficial and how it fits into our approach at The Gut Tailor. We once used green banana flour in our recipes, but we’ve since refined our fibre blends. Read on to learn why.

What is Green Banana Flour?

Green banana flour is a fine, pale powder made from unripe bananas. Unripe bananas are harvested while still green; they contain very little sugar and are rich in resistant starch. After harvesting, the bananas are peeled, dried at low temperatures to preserve nutrients and then milled into powder. The resulting flour has a neutral flavour and blends easily into smoothies, porridge or baking mixes.

Nutritional Profile

The nutritional drawcard of green banana flour is its resistant starch and dietary fibre. Resistant starch is a type of carbohydrate that resists digestion in the small intestine and passes to the large intestine, where it is fermented by beneficial bacteria. Green banana flour also contains minerals and vitamins including potassium, vitamin C and vitamin B6. Because it’s made from whole unripe bananas, it delivers plant‑based fibre without added sugars.

Evidence‑Backed Health Benefits

• Supports gut microbiota. Resistant starch reaches the large intestine intact, where it feeds beneficial microbes such as Ruminococcus and Bifidobacteria. Fermentation of resistant starch produces short‑chain fatty acids, including butyrate, which fuel the cells lining your colon and help maintain a healthy gut barrier.
• Promotes digestive regularity. Green banana flour’s combination of soluble and insoluble fibre adds bulk to stools and encourages regular bowel movements. Because resistant starch acts slowly, it can be gentler than some harsher fibre supplements.
• Helps balance blood sugar. Resistant starch is digested slowly, which can lead to a more gradual release of glucose into the bloodstream. This may help reduce blood‑sugar spikes after meals.
• May aid weight and metabolic health. A recent 2025 study in rats found that diets containing mixed green banana pulp and peel flour reduced weight gain, adiposity and blood lipids while improving intestinal morphology. While human studies are limited, these findings suggest that green banana flour’s fibre and resistant starch may support weight management and metabolic health.

Is Green Banana Flour Safe?

Green banana flour is a natural, minimally processed food that has been used in traditional cuisines for generations. It’s generally safe for most people, but like any high‑fibre ingredient it can cause gas or bloating if you add too much too quickly. To minimise discomfort, start with a small amount (½–1 teaspoon) and increase slowly over several weeks. This is the same stepwise approach we use in our Fibre Plan to help sensitive tummies adapt to higher fibre intake.

Why We No Longer Use Green Banana Flour

When The Gut Tailor launched, our early recipes included green banana flour because of its resistant‑starch content and neutral flavour. As our understanding of digestive health deepened and our customers’ needs evolved, we updated our blends to focus on a broader spectrum of fibres and prebiotics. Today our products rely on a mix of soluble fibre (from oats and psyllium), insoluble fibre and clinically studied prebiotics that provide consistent benefits across IBS‑C, IBS‑D and sensitive tummies. Green banana flour is still a great ingredient, but it no longer features in our formulas.

How to Use Green Banana Flour at Home

Interested in trying green banana flour yourself? Here are a few ideas:

• Add a tablespoon to your morning smoothie for extra resistant starch.
• Replace 25 % of wheat flour in baking recipes to increase fibre without changing texture.
• Stir a teaspoon into porridge or yoghurt; make sure to increase fluids alongside.

If you’re sensitive to fibre, go slowly. Our UK fibre guide and Fibre Plan offer step‑by‑step support for increasing fibre comfortably.

Takeaway

Green banana flour is a fibre‑rich, resistant‑starch ingredient that can support gut health, digestive regularity and metabolic balance. It remains popular in 2025 as companies like Dole and Givaudan develop upcycled green banana powder for clean‑label food products. At The Gut Tailor we no longer use this ingredient, but we recognise its benefits and hope this article helps you make informed decisions. Whether you choose green banana flour or one of our fibre blends, remember to listen to your gut and increase fibre gradually for the best results.