As you may have read in my previous post, green plantains are a very good source of resistant starch. There are many ways to incorporate green plantains into one’s diet. This is one way to get resistant starch into your diet and to get hooked on green plantains as well!
Plantain chips are a terrific snack food especially when they are fried in coconut oil.
Benefits of Cooking in Coconut Oil
Coconut oil is rich in lauric acid, which is known for being anti-viral, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. Lauric and palmitic fatty acids are found in mother’s breast milk and help protect the infant against pathogens. Studies have shown the antimicrobial benefits of coconut oil.
Investigations on the effects of the medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil, on neurological diseases such Alzheimer’s, (here) show benefits. Other research shows coconut oil to benefit epilepsy and it is used with epileptic children to help induce ketosis.
People in the Tropics and Asia have thrived on a coconut based diet for centuries with excellent health. For example, in the South the Tokelauans eat over 60% of their food calories from coconut — yet, according to this study published in the Journal of Clinical Nutrition, they enjoy excellent health with no heart disease.
See more of the many benefits of coconut oil here.
Nutrition in Plantains
Plantains contain more potassium and vitamin A than regular bananas. They also have plenty of folate and the B vitamins, vitamin C and phosphorus. Plantains contain moderate amounts of mineral like calcium and zinc. (source)
The question of how much to eat is difficult to answer because we all have different microbiome configurations. Someone who typically eats a lot of starches may not have any problem with eating a portion of resistant starch. Someone who has not been eating starches in general may have difficulty with resistant starch because they do not have large colonies of the bacterial strains that feed upon it.
When you start to eat a prebiotic food that contains resistant starch, such as green plantains, use caution as to how much you eat. If you experience intestinal gas, upset or bloating, that is a sign that your bacteria need nurturing and you need to take it slowly.
If there are any other people around when you cook up these plantains, that won’t be a problem.
Plantain Chips (Paleo, AIP)
Ingredients
- 2 green plantains
- Coconut oil (where to buy)
- Sea salt (where to buy)
Equipment
- Large fry pan (where to buy)
- Mandolin (where to buy)
Instructions
- Peel the plantains – cut off the ends, make a slice just through the skin with your knife along the length of the plantain – get your finger under the skin and peel back
- Slice 1/8″ thick horizontal pieces with a mandolin, taking care to use the holder or a fork so you don’t cut your fingers as you get close to the end
- Heat the oil to medium
- Place the chips in a single layer in the pan
- Add salt
- Fry for about 5 minutes then turn each chip and fry for another minute or two
- Remove to a paper towel lined plate
- Serve immediately if there are any left!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Not enough
Shared at: Hearth & Soul Hop
