Plantain Nutrition Calculator — Green Raw, Boiled, Fried & Ripe

Green (unripe) plantain contains approximately 28-32g resistant starch per 100g with only 3g sugar — making it one of the highest natural sources of resistant starch ^[1]. As plantain ripens, enzymes convert starch to sugars: ripe yellow plantain has only ~17g starch but 15g sugar at the same 122 kcal total.

This starch-to-sugar conversion doesn't change total calories — it changes the type of carbohydrate. For food journaling, the ripeness stage is the most important variable to log. Green plantain is starchy (like potato), while ripe plantain is sweet (like banana but firmer) ^[2].

USDA data confirms plantain's potassium at 499mg per 100g raw (11% DV) — substantially more than banana (358mg), raw sweet potato (337mg), and white potato (421mg) ^[1]. A medium plantain (~180g) provides 898mg potassium (19% DV) in a single fruit.

Boiling reduces potassium to approximately 350mg per 100g due to mineral leaching into cooking water. For maximum potassium retention, roasting or baking whole unpeeled plantains preserves more minerals than boiling in water ^[2].

Fried plantain (tostones, chips, or kelewele) absorbs significant oil: fat jumps from 0.37g to 8.0g per 100g, adding approximately 68 additional calories from fat alone ^[1]. Total calories rise from 122 to 220 kcal — an 80% increase primarily from absorbed cooking oil.

Sodium also increases dramatically if salt is added during frying: from 4mg raw to approximately 150mg fried per 100g. For accurate journaling, always specify whether plantain is boiled (116 kcal, 0.1g fat) or fried (220 kcal, 8g fat) — the difference is substantial ^[2].

Raw plantain provides 18.4mg vitamin C per 100g (20% DV), which drops to approximately 9mg per 100g boiled (10% DV) — a 51% loss from heat exposure and water leaching ^[1]. Fried plantain retains about 10mg despite higher temperatures, because shorter cooking time and oil coating limit vitamin C degradation.

Potassium loss during boiling is approximately 30% (499→350mg per 100g), as the mineral dissolves into cooking water. Using cooking water in soups or gravies recovers some of these lost minerals. For journaling, specify the cooking method — it changes both vitamin C and potassium significantly ^[1].

Plantain (122 kcal, 499mg K, 32g carbs) provides more calories and potassium per 100g than banana (89 kcal, 358mg K, 22.8g carbs) and raw sweet potato (86 kcal, 337mg K, 20.1g carbs) ^[1]. However, sweet potato leads in fiber (3.0g vs 2.3g) and vitamin A (709mcg vs 56mcg RAE).

For carbohydrate journaling, plantain is the densest — 32g carbs per 100g vs banana's 22.8g and sweet potato's 20.1g. All three are low in fat (under 0.5g) and protein (1-2g), making them primarily carbohydrate sources for meal planning.