If you've been on the hunt for a Paleo-approved or gluten-free flour, today's your lucky day. Green banana flour has been growing in popularity, and for good reason. In addition to being wheat-free, the baking alternative is a resistant starch, which is a type of carbohydrate that resists both digestion and breaking down into sugars. Most starches, like potatoes, are broken down into glucose (a type of sugar) in our small intestine. Good resistant starches (including beans and lentils) on the other hand remain undigested, helping lower blood sugar levels and aiding gut health. Not to mention banana flour is a good source of potassium and dietary fiber!
Banana flour's texture can be compared to that of lighter wheat flours, except it has a mild banana flavor when consumed raw. Any hints of banana become hardly detectable once cooked. A common staple in Jamaican, Haitian, West African, and Central American cooking, banana flour is ground from peeled and dried unripe bananas. It's just as versatile as any other flour when it comes to baking and cooking, if not more, as you can add it to your smoothies straight from the container.
One interesting thing about banana flour, however, is that the resistant starch disappears when heated above 140 degrees Fahrenheit. It's best to consume raw if you're looking for a good resistant starch. But if your only concern is working around your gluten intolerance, then it doesn't matter whether you bake it.
You can find banana flour on Amazon or at health food stores, but look out for organic varieties that contain zero added ingredients. As with anything, consume in moderation, but this sounds like a baking substitute worth trying out!