On the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and Gut and Psychology Syndrome diet bananas must be all yellow with lots of brown spots before using. This ensures that they have converted the vast majority of their starch into simple sugars. Starch is not allowed on GAPS or SCD because it travels to lower in the GI tract, which feeds the pathogenic bacteria that we are trying to starve out.  Simple sugars absorb quickly and do not give the pathogens a chance to feed.

Ripe fruit is allowed on GAPS and SCD, though if you are doing the ketogenic version of the GAPS Diet you will want to avoid bananas for the most part, as they are high in carbs.

Want to learn more? Here is everything you need to know about the GAPS Diet. 

It took me a while to get the hang of using bananas on GAPS.  I’d buy one bunch at a time, and they seemed to take forever to ripen and then we’d use them all up in a day.  I finally figured out a banana system that works for our family.

Our Banana System for the GAPS Diet

  • Buy in bulk. I buy an entire box (about a dozen bunches) at a time at Costco, or at the health food store if they are running a sale.  Bananas aren’t heavily (if at all) sprayed and are one of the fruits that are not important to buy organic.
  • Choose unblemished fruit. Bananas that have any blemishes on them more often than not will rot before they ripen all the way.  It may not be noticeable if they are green or yellow, but any bruises will be very apparent by the time they are ripe!  So choose your bananas carefully.
  • Unwrap.  As soon as we get home, free bananas of any plastic wrapping.  The plastic can trap moisture, which encourages mold – yuck.
  • Set a morning to prepare your bananas. Once the bananas are finally ripe, we set one bunch out to use in recipes like banana nut muffins, and the rest we slice and dry in the dehydrator and flash freeze.
    • To dry, slice into evenly sized rounds and lay flat on the dehydrator tray.  I use this dehydrator. They can touch, they will shrink as they dry.  Dry on high overnight.
    • To flash freeze simply peel the bananas and then lay them onto a cookie sheet, try to avoid having them touch for this.  Then place the cookie sheet into the freezer and once frozen, flex to pop the bananas off. Then they can be transfered to a zip-top bag and stored in the freezer.
      • To use in smoothies just use as is frozen or cut in half if it helps your blender.
      • To use in baked goods, thaw the bananas needed in a bowl and use in the recipe- they are easier to mash this way too.

Delicious Recipes using bananas for the GAPS Diet:

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