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When I was recently fighting for life with cancer and 5 blocked arteries in my heart,my Blood sugar levels jumped to some readings that could have caused a stroke and could have also ended in a coma.I am lucky to be here,some of the readings were 24,26 and even 27,i was prescribed an addition of tablets to keep the levels down.This is where green bananas came in to help,we call it "green fig" in TT.The tablets were doing OK but levels were still high and not acceptable,i then started nyaming green bananas daily for the last month,well you have to believe me my sugar levels have dropped to 7,8,9 all acceptable."Green figs"have come back into my life again.Ionly started eating it because my mother used to tell us how it so good for you,anyway i googled it and found it is very good for keeping blood sugar down.Did you guys and girls know that fact,I am sure many do.

In reply to granite

Yeah, with the green banana you are on track! Cassava should also be a staple rather than rice! Also oatmeal very good!

In reply to granite
Yep. Green plantain as well

Depending on where you are check out The East African Matooke/Banana (Luganda word spoken by Bagunda ppl. Great Lakes Region)

In reply to granite

As a Trini, didn't your parents steamed/boiled baby bananas is (the smallest variety of bananas). Also known as “Lady Fingers”.
One can purchase such at the San Fernando market, lots are grown in Moruga. Get them half ripe.

My mother use to steam it , peel the skin off . Soak saltfish in water overnight, get a table spoon of olive oil, put in the the pot to heat up.
Throw the bananas and saltfish in the pot, a small piece of Moruga scorpion pepper. It is stirred till the water evaporates about two minutes.
The same with making pound plantain. One can have such daily as a side dish for any meal of the day.

Oh the good ole days...its amazing with curried cascadura .
Remember what the native legend says ...

Johnson and the Cascadura is a fictional short story about a white Englishman, Garry Johnson, who went to Trinidad “to get background material for a book he was writing, on superstition and witchcraft.” While there, Johnson met an Indian girl, Urmilla, who worked on the estate where Johnson was staying. The two fell in love. They were from different worlds, he a white, affluent man, and she an uneducated country girl. Rumours of their love circulated and there was disquiet and disapproval.

Johnson decided to return to England. The night before he was due to return, Urmilla brought him some curry cascadura she had made, believing in the folklore that, “Those who eat the cascadura will, the native legend says, wheresoever they may wander end in Trinidad their days.”Johnson returned to England and wrote his book. Three years later, he was diagnosed with a rare blood disease. Doctors did not give him much time to live and so he wanted to go back to Trinidad.

Upon his return, Johnson and Urmilla began planning their wedding. Sam, the overseer who had unrequited love for Urmilla said to Johnson, “So the cascadura legend really worked, and brought you back to Trinidad.”
“I can’t get Urmilla to believe otherwise,” Johnson laughed.

Urmilla was positive that the cascadura had worked the charm.

In reply to granite

The Poem

Those who eat the cascadura will, the native legend says,
Wheresoever they may wander, end in Trinidad their days.
And this lovely fragrant island, with its forest hills sublime,
Well might be the smiling Eden pictured in the Book divine.

Cocoa woods with scarlet glory of the stately Immortelles,
Waterfalls and fertile valleys, precipices, fairy dells,
Rills and rivers, green savannahs, fruits and flowers and odours rich,
Waving sugar cane plantations and the wondrous lake of pitch.

Oh! the Bocas at the daybreak – how can one describe that scene!
Or the little emerald islands with the sapphire sea between!
Matchless country of Iere, fairer none could ever wish.
Can you wonder at the legend of the cascadura fish?

Allister Macmillan

Why o why me neva did ask one ah you,my God I was so surprised,I couldn't believe that cassava was also good,green plantain as well,me know now but as ah say the "green fig" doing real good,I have given up rice and I cyah mek roti so ah safe from flour foods,but i will check out the bananas you talk about and as Chrissy say,green plantain.There's an Indian vegetable shop and they sell many different types of bananas,big,small,different shapes and sizes,i'll be there tomorrow.You guys have knowledge like Encyclopedia,nice man,very nice,i so pleased to be around after that experience.Thank you all!

In reply to granite

Why is it OK to eat cassava even though it contains cyanide?

Sweet cassava roots contain less than 50 mg per kilogram hydrogen cyanide on fresh weight basis, whereas that of the bitter variety may contain up to 400 mg per kilogram.
Sweet cassava roots can generally be made safe to eat by peeling and thorough cooking.

In reply to granite

“Blue Metal “ also has the same benefits. Excellent diabetic food.

In reply to sgtdjones

Cassava is a staple in Latin America and some Caribbean countries!

Cassava and Potatoes both have a good amount of vitamin C, but comparing to potatoes, Cassava are a bit higher. This water-soluble vitamin helps in repairing tissue in the body, and boosts immune system function.

In reply to XDFIX

Yep I enjoy it...

In reply to sgtdjones
Yes my mom did boil a very small banana which we had for breakfast.We had it almost everyday sometimes plantains.I went to Grant CM School on Carib Street you may know itI think all that energy I had came from eating all those bananas and plantains.I note that you call the bananas Lady Fingers,the little ones that my mom boiled was called SIKIYE I wonder if it's the same,I never saw different fruits on trees because of the part of Sando I grew up,I did see many in the big market on Mucorapo Street.I know that poem about the Cascadura only too well and have eaten so much,our Guyanese frens call it Hassa,do any of our other Caribbean people eat the Cascadura,only asking.All good!

In reply to sgtdjones

I will start eating cassava again,I had stopped eating white foods,rice,white flour cassava,potatoes etc,now though cassava is back on the menu.

Sleep time guys 3am,thanks for all the info,God bless.

In reply to granite

What are you doing up at this time?

Yes, that small, sweet banana tastes incredible when simmered and fried with saltfish. It goes by many names.
We used to consume it daily as a side dish...occasionally boiled and fried cassava.

When the plantains turned black, they were fried and used to make pound plantains.
The pound plantain was an additional side dish.

These products are available in Canada, but they are harvested only half-full, so the flavour is not the same as in T&T.

This is the only rice I eat...well exactly not a rice..

Manoomin - Wild Rice. Wild rice is Canada's only native cereal.
It is a wild grass that grows from seed annually and produces a very valuable grain that has been used by the First Nations people from parts of North America, as food, for thousands of years.
The pristine environment of shallow lakes and slow moving rivers in northern Saskatchewan provides an ideal habitat for wild rice. Saskatchewan is now the leading producer of wild rice in Canada.
One of the food staples particularly enjoyed by the Ojibwe and Menominee was wild rice. Wild rice is not a true rice, but rather a cereal grass -- Zizania aquatica -- which grows in shallow lakes and streams. It ripens in late summer, usually from the middle of August to early September.There are four different species of wild rice.
If you're looking for a healthier option, opt for brown rice or one of the many varieties of wild rice. These types of rice are more nutritious and have a lower risk of causing blood sugar spikes.

In reply to sgtdjones

My Grandad grew tons of cassava and separated bitter from sweet but to be sure which was which he could simply tell just by tasting the leaves. I think bitter cassava can be used to make Bammy (Cassava Bread) simply by squeezing out the juice from the dessicated/ground cassava. In JA the bitter cassava is used for starch but the flour is not wasted. once the juice is removed cyanide levels if any are negligible. drying it makes doubly sure.
When I used to export produce from Yard to Canada I was so shocked when a Congolese/Canadian contacted me to supply him with Cassava leaves which they eat as we do greens. Of course I couldn't supply because their wasn't enough plus I knew not an effective packing method

Sikie fig and green gros michel fig is 2 different ting no? The ‘green fig’ we used to use for soup and with salt fish was neither of those. As sarge cites lady fingers (which the Indians call our okra/Ochro), it may be green fig as that’s certainly skinnier than the aforementioned 2 varieties.

In reply to Overthrow

What is blue metal?

In reply to googley

Ground provision

In reply to Brerzerk I just had improvised Dominican Republic's Mangoo! I simply cut a green plantain into five or six pieces, skinned it & then cut longitudinally, boiled it with a kunchee bit of oil with some pepper sauce, about two tea-spoons of ketchup, add a kunchee bit of salt! Boiled it to a semi-solid state...actually, more soft & boudoom! Of course, I have my two boiled eggs & properly cooked sardines. Then with a cup of black tea with a tiny slice of lemon & no sugar...add a Guyneez pastry...chiney cake, half of a salara, pine-tart, etc. or a slice of Jewmaycan Golden Krust's whole wheat - add butter to one side of the slice, slap it it on a tawaa under low fire until the butt melts then finally a kunchee bit jam/jelly (strawberry or grape) & story done! I do not need lunch! For 5', 8"...i dont want to weigh more than 165/170lbs.

In reply to BeatDball

Why did you add ketchup?

In reply to Halliwell

In reply to Overthrow

Thanks. Love those.

In reply to sgtdjones

Just a 6 point difference between brown rice and white rice on the GI chart!

In reply to Brerzerk


Yes ,I have heard from Africans they eat the leaves , they sauté the leaves till they are well cooked an add garlic.

In reply to Halliwell Isnt it a good substitute for tomatoes?

In reply to BeatDball

In reply to BeatDball

Let me guess....you eat lowmein with ketchup, right?

In reply to sgtdjones

I also see the Purple banana flower being sold at this massive Indian vegetable shop.I also read about eating banana skins and I tried it after boiling it,it didn't taste bad at all.

In reply to granite

Purple bananas are a hybrid of two species of banana originally from Southeast Asia. The two species are Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana. The skin is a dark red that appears purple to most.
The “purple banana” contains reddish-purple skin and tastes like yellow ones mixed with raspberries! And it reportedly has better health benefits than the traditional yellow.
In Moruga we grow them.Red bananas are typically shorter and plumper than yellow ones and should only be eaten when ripe.
Bananas are full of antioxidants, vitamin C, and fiber, among many other nutrients.

Its nutrients may contribute to improved heart and digestive health when consumed in a healthy diet.
It is rich in potassium, which may help reduce blood pressure.
It helps the digestive system, as it contains prebiotics, and it’s a good source of fiber.

I have eaten the purple banana..only when fully ripe

In reply to googley Ok ok...lets not get wrapped around the axle as that Ft Benning, GA Captain & trainer of Lieutenants for the IOBC would say! I just couldnt boil the green bananas & not just add anything else than likkle bit of pepper & salt. I just, out of nowhere, says...shoite lemme add some ketchup & it worked out fine! I stopped adding ketchup to my chowmein. Lol.

In reply to BeatDball

In reply to googley

ketchup to Chow mein..ewwwwwwwwwww
You are joking eh Googs...

In reply to sgtdjones It's a Guyneez thing...you wouldn't understand. Fool stop.

In reply to BeatDball

Oh gawd

Chow mein killing the taste of the ketchup

Ask the barber shop bwoys?