Bananas (Musa spp.) are naturally sweet, creamy fruits whose flavor, texture, and carbohydrate composition change considerably as they ripen. Green bananas are firmer and higher in resistant starch, while ripening converts much of this starch into naturally occurring sugars, producing the softer, sweeter fruit used for eating fresh, smoothies, and baking. Bananas also provide fiber, potassium, vitamin B6, and other protective plant compounds. Enjoying bananas at different stages of ripeness provides different culinary uses and varying amounts of resistant starch and readily available carbohydrate.