Banana fruits are among the most important food crops in the world that are native to Southeast Asia.

There are more than 500 varieties of banana plants in the world.More than 95 percent of the bananas sold are Cavendish . Other varieties are the Manzano. This variety, native to Central and South America, belongs to a subcategory known as apple bananas.

Plantain. An entire subset of the fruit, plantains are a kind of banana that is usually cooked.

Red. This is a delicious of the alternative banana varieties available. Sometimes confused with a Philippine staple variety called Lacatan, the red banana has a sweet taste and a creamy texture.

Lady finger bananas are smaller and sweeter than the ubiquitous longer, milder Cavendish. They can be used the same way, but make particularly portion-controlled snacks, especially for kids.

Bananas are a healthy source of fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and various antioxidants and phytonutrients.

There are many different types, and they come in many different sizes. Color usually varies from green to yellow.

The carbohydrate composition of bananas changes drastically during ripening.

The main component of unripe bananas is starch. Green bananas contain up to 70-80% starch, on a dry weight basis.

During ripening, the starch is converted into sugars and ends up being less than 1% when the banana is fully ripe .

The most common types of sugar found in ripe bananas are sucrose, fructose and glucose. In ripe bananas, the total content of sugars can reach more than 16% of the fresh weight.

Bananas have a glycemic index of 42-58, depending on their ripeness, which is relatively low . This is a measure of how quickly the carbs in a food enter the bloodstream.