#He green Plantain in Venezuela and its nutritional properties#

It is difficult to find a name in English for this fruit because in Venezuela three varieties are known easily recognizable by their size and shape. In English the plantain is green or mature, in some countries like Mexico the plantain is known as plantain "macho". So you put plantain in the search engine and the result is bananas.

souce These are green Plantain

For Venezuelans the banana is called "Cambur" and we refer to the sweet fruit that can be eaten directly without cooking, sweet and small to medium size, with yellow skin like gold, although you can also make cooked preparations especially sweet. Yesterday I just published a post about this fruit https://steemit.com/healt/@dyanna/food-number-6-of-the-series-of-30-healthy-foods-to-lose-weight.

In the Zulia state in western Venezuela, in the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua, banana is called Guineo, it is believed that they came from Guinea, or Africa, although its real origin is Southeast Asia, or Oceania, from an island that coincidentally bears the name of Papua New Guinea.

sourceThis is the banana or CAMBUR in Venezuela

There is another variety that is consumed in Venezuela, it is a crop more of the indigenous areas and is often treated as a vegetable since in some regions it is added to the soups we say TOPOCHO, it is smaller than the banana but it is more robust . When ripe it can also be eaten raw as banana and green is normally eaten fried as chips or in soups. At the beginning of the last century until the middle of the century, the flour was used to thicken sauces, soups and baby food.

sourceThis is the TOPOCHO

The Plantain that is consumed green in chips to which some regions of Venezuela and Colombia is known as "Patacón", which are accompanied by different fillings of meats, chickens, cheese, sauces and salads. When it is ripe, it is consumed as an accompaniment to most dishes at lunchtime, baked, boiled or fried. It is also part of the traditional dish of Venezuela, El Pabellón, which consists of white rice, shredded beef, black beans and fried plantain (here called slices).
In general almost everyone is known and consumed mature green Plantain, this fruit is one of the progenitors of the banana and s very nutritious, let's see its nutritional properties.

The green plantain mostly consists of starches but unlike other vegetables such as potatoes and cassava the green plantain has retrograde or resistant starches, these act as a fiber since they are not assimilable to the body. It contains less sugar and almost no protein, at a nutritional level it is excellent to provide energy to the body without raising the glycemic index in blood. It provides all the benefits of soluble and insoluble fiber from the resistant starch it contains. It is necessary to remember that we are talking about Plantain when it is green, because in its maturation stage its values ​​and nutritional characteristics vary, especially in the levels of sugar it contributes because the resistant starch is transformed into sugars as it matures.

Some health transfers that the Plantain helps to improve:

• Gastritis: Protects the gastric mucosa because its starches are demulcent and protective so they are suitable to consume when you have gastritis, ulcers or acid stomach.
• Constipation: Due to its contribution in soluble and insoluble fibers prevents constipation avoiding harsh problems and hemorrhoids.
• Regenerates intestinal flora: resistant starches are fermented in the small intestine which produces a prebiotic effect promoting intestinal health. Therefore, it is recommended to use it after treatment with an antibiotic or when you suffer from colon diseases such as Crhon's disease or colitis.
• Increase defenses: Being rich in B6 helps strengthen the immune system.
• Hypertension: Plantain greens are rich in potassium and magnesium two minerals necessary for muscle contraction, especially of the heart. They are recommended if medicine is taken for hypertension since these facilitate the expulsion of potassium through urine.
• Cholesterol: Being high in fiber helps lower cholesterol levels, accompanied by a healthy diet. 200 gr per day contribute between 20 to 25% of fiber, which are the levels recommended by the WHO, which helps to prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and cancer.

  
  The Plantain is the basis of many dishes of tropical countries, in which cases it is recommended to increase consumption in summer to replace the potassium that is lost through perspiration and sweat on hot days, it is also convenient to increase its consumption in case of suffering diseases such as fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, depression, stress, asthma psoriasis, lupus this due to its high levels of magnesium and potassium.

  
  For athletes it is also an excellent alternative to replenish energy and good muscle health before or after exercising.
  The consumption of Plantain is good for health and is one of the noblest crops of nature, almost does not need special care, is very fast reproduction and throughout the year in tropical countries. With a single copy you can have a very abundant planting since the children of the mother plant should be cut and transplanted so that the fruit plant and a single plant can reach 3 or four children before starting flowering and fructification.