Which Is The Perfect Banana?

A picture of bunch of banana’s has literally taken the internet by storm and debate is raging.

When the internet was asked what the “perfect” ripeness of a banana, it may come as no surprise that people were pretty divided.

An Instagram user posted a photo guide of the fruit at varying levels of ripeness labelled from one to 15.

The banana labelled one was the most under-ripe and almost green in colour, while 15 was the most over-ripe and virtually brown.

Social media users were then asked: “Which number is the perfect banana?”

The snap was shared by account Top Physiques, which has 1.3 million followers, and has been liked more than 3,500 times since it was posted on Friday.

From the comments, it appeared most people would go for somewhere between numbers 8 and 10 – the more yellow and ripe fruits.

Fewer people seemed to opt for anything less than 3, which are almost green, or over 11, which are very speckled and brown.

While bananas get a hard time for being higher in carbs and calories than some other fruits, experts say they remain an excellent source of potassium no matter how ripe they are.

However it’s more beneficial for those with diabetes or trouble digesting the fruit to opt for an under-ripe banana.

Harley Street nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert told MailOnline: “Research suggests that in under-ripe bananas, starch constitutes 80-90 per cent of the carbohydrate content, which, as the banana ripens, changes into free sugars.

“Therefore, people who suffer with diabetes are advised to eat bananas that are not overly ripe as not to spike their blood sugar too much.”

But she says  the average person may find a more yellow banana easier to digest due to the resistant starch changing to simple sugar as it ripens.

Rhiannon added: “You could eat unripened bananas or ripened bananas and still reap the benefits of this nutritious fruit. The only difference is that for individuals with Type 2 Diabetes.”