Yes, the ripeness of your banana really does make a difference – and in more ways than you might first assume. Really, it’s a veritable banana minefield out there, so here’s the lowdown on every type.

It’s no secret that bananas are a great way to get a lot of goodness into your body with minimum effort. But at some point, you’ve probably wondered whether there’s a difference between green, yellow, spotty and brown bananas, beyond just their aesthetic appeal. In fact, the ripeness of your favorite curved fruit can dramatically affect its impact on your body, for better and worse.

The significance of a balanced diet can’t be overstated. After all, it’s “an important step towards a happy and healthy lifestyle,” according to the World Health Organization. Not only can a varied diet help your immune system and keep your weight in check, but it will also help you fend off more serious diseases.

Fruits and vegetables are a key part of any balanced diet, because they’re packed with minerals and vitamins. Plus, they can help boost the amount of fiber in your diet, which will keep your gut healthy and ward off bowel cancer. In the U.K., the National Health Service advises people to eat five different fruits and vegetables every day.

While eating a balanced diet also means getting lots of variety in what you consume, plenty of people find bananas a consistently great choice. Americans eat more bananas than both oranges and apples combined, in fact. But that should come as no surprise – after all, it’s a very versatile fruit.

Indeed, bananas can be eaten in a multitude of different ways: raw, cooked, blended into a smoothie or with cereal, to name a few. And no matter how ripe they are, they’re packed with potassium, which has a range of benefits all its own. For instance, it can help regulate your blood pressure and lower your chances of kidney stones.

However, while some benefits of bananas don’t change according to how ripe they are, there are others that do. And it can swing both ways, with different ripeness levels offering both positive and negative traits – at least when compared with their more, or less, ripe banana brethren.

If you have a bunch of bananas in your kitchen that are still green, you don’t necessarily need to wait for them to turn yellow before tucking in. After all, these unripe bananas still have plenty of pros. For instance, they’re a great source of resistant starch – which is good for your gut, as bacteria will feed on it.

You might also opt for green bananas if you’re lacking a sweet tooth, because they contain fewer natural sugars than riper versions of the fruit. And that means they’re great for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. Green bananas’ glycemic index rating is also lower, dietitian Grace Derocha told Elite Daily.

This doesn’t mean that signing up to team green is the definitive answer, however. Yes, there are also a couple of snags to eating your bananas without giving them time to ripen. Derocha said that the proteins in green bananas are like those in latex, for instance, so they can cause problems for people with latex allergies.

All that starch, meanwhile, can be difficult for your body to properly process. That, in turn, can lead to gas and bloating – neither of which are particularly pleasant. Instead, then, you may choose to let your bananas turn a firm, spotless yellow before peeling them back to unlock their benefits. If you do, you’ll be in for slightly different benefits.

Yellow bananas are far sweeter than their unripe counterparts, for a start. And they’re also much easier for your body to digest, thanks to the resistant starch changing into simpler sugars. If you’re having digestive issues, then, yellow bananas might just offer some relief.

If you’re worried about the extra natural sugars bumping up the calorie count on what was once a healthy snack, you can quell those fears. After all, your body would have converted that starch into sugar regardless. While the taste is undoubtedly different, then, the end result is the same, meaning the calorie count is unaffected – something that’s true across all stages of banana ripeness.

What’s more, as the level of resistant starch goes down, the level of antioxidants goes up. These have all sorts of benefits for your body, including combating potential damage from pollution, smoking, radiation and chemical exposure. Moreover, they lower your susceptibility to degenerative diseases and heart conditions.

However, there’s also a downside to yellow bananas. As the starch in unripe, green bananas converts to simple sugars, they no longer remain a viable option for people suffering from type 2 diabetes. So, if you’re trying to lower your blood sugar levels, you’re going to want to stick with green bananas – even if it does mean missing out on other potential benefits.

As anyone who’s ever bought more than a single banana at once will know, green and yellow aren’t the only two stages in the fruit’s lifespan. Yes, once the window of pure, firm yellow passes, brown spots will start to appear on the banana’s skin. That doesn’t mean it’s time to throw it out, however. In fact, at this point the banana’s antioxidant contents only increase further.

Indeed, according to Healthy Holistic Living, these dark spots form a “Tumor Necrosis Factor,” which actively kills cancerous cells. So when your bananas turn totally brown on the outside and mushy on the inside, it’s worth keeping hold of them. Even if you don’t want to eat them in that state, you can always whip up a smoothie or make them into ice cream.

Overripe bananas have other benefits, too. In addition to the mood-boosting Vitamin B6 you’ll find in all bananas, riper versions have larger amounts of tryptophan. When consumed, your body will convert this amino acid into serotonin – giving your mood an even bigger lift and reducing your stress levels in turn.

According to 1MD, these browned bananas have other beneficial properties – ones that give a specific boost to your bones and muscles. And while their overall nutrient levels can decrease as they reach the end of their lifespan, storing your overripe bananas in the fridge can help alleviate some of that loss.

Indeed, placing a banana in the fridge can halt ripening altogether, as it deactivates the enzymes that cause the process. It can also be a useful way to keep them under-ripe, then, if green bananas are your preferred choice. Alternatively, if you’re looking to speed up the ripening process to exploit the benefits of a yellow or browned banana, you’ll want to store them in a paper bag or in plastic.

No matter the stage at which you choose to eat your bananas, though, there will always be benefits and drawbacks. Ultimately, it likely comes down to your specific needs and tastes. If you prefer your banana harder and less sweet, green is the way to go. If you prefer it soft and sugary, wait for it to ripen. While the effects will be different, you’ll still be getting plenty of goodness either way.