10 Nutritious Fruit and Vegetable Peels You Can Eat

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When eating a fruit such as orange, the first thing you do is tear off its thick peel and throw it straight into the garbage. But, guess what?

You are missing out on a lot of nutrients. The peel of an orange has nearly twice as much vitamin C as the flesh inside. There are various tasty ways you can consume orange peels if you are willing to get a little creative.

The same is true for lots of vegetables and fruits, the peel is often the most nutritious part, and can be eaten. Below are 10 foods with powerful peels you should be eating and how to add them to your diet.

10 Nutritious Fruit and Vegetable Peels You Can Eat
nutritious peels you can eat / pixabay

VEGETABLES

1. Beets

Beets are loaded with vitamins A, B1, B2, B6 and C. The greens have a higher content of iron compared to spinach. They are also an excellent source of calcium, magnesium, copper, phosphorus, sodium and iron.

While beetroot contains some of its minerals in its greens to a lesser degree, it is also a great source of choline, folate, iodine, manganese, organic sodium, potassium, fiber and carbohydrates, in the form of natural digestible sugars.

Its iron content, though not high, is of the finest quality that makes excellent food for blood building. This renders it highly effective in treating many ailments which are caused by the toxic surrounding and environment.

2. Carrots

The skin of a carrot is the same color as what is directly beneath it. The peel and its flesh have similar nutritional properties.

But, the highest concentration of phytonutrients is found in the skin of the carrot or underneath it. You can just rinse the carrot thoroughly rather than peeling it.

3. Cucumber

Cucumber peels are loaded with nutritious benefits. The skins are filled with fiber and contain a variety of beneficial minerals such as potassium, silica and magnesium. This makes it ideal for hydration as well as for maintaining healthy tissue.

Silica is an important component of healthy connective tissue in tendons, muscles, cartilage, ligaments and bone. Cucumber juice, with the organic peels left on, is an excellent source of silica which helps in improving skin health.

4. Eggplants

Make sure to leave the skins on, if you are going to juice eggplant. They are filled with nasunin, an antioxidant that may prevent brain-cell damage, an ample amount of magnesium and potassium.

Remember to juice the eggplant as soon as you buy it, as the peels get more bitter with time.

5. Potatoes

Potato’s skin are rich in nutrients such as calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C more than the rest of the potato. A 100 grams of potato peel packs 17 times more iron and 7 times more calcium, than the same amount of potato flesh.

Remove the skin and you will lose up to 90% of a potato’s iron content and half of its fiber. Don’t forget the skin of a sweet potato is filled with a significant amount of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A during digestion. Vitamin A is important for cell health and immune system regulation, and it is very useful in maintaining organ function.

FRUITS

6. Apples

The skin of an apple comprises about half of the apple’s overall dietary fiber content. A medium-sized apple contains 9 milligrams of vitamin C, 200 grams of potassium and 100 IUs of vitamin A.

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By taking of its peel, you lose about a third of its nutrients. Also, the peel has 4 times more vitamin K than its flesh, which is about 5% of your daily value. Vitamin K, which is also prevalent in meat, spinach and other green vegetablees, helps you form blood clots, which patch you up when you have a bad scrape and helps in activating the proteins your body needs for healthy bone maintenance and cell growth.

The skin of an apple contains potential benefits beyond its vitamin content. An antioxidant known as quercetin, which is found mostly in the apple’s skin, can help lung function, protect your lungs from irritants and ease breathing problems. Also, quercetin can fight off brain tissue damage and protect your memory.

A study identified another compound that is present in the peel, known as triterpenoids, which appears to inhibit or kill certain types of cancer cells throughout your body. Also, the ursolic acid in apple’s skin has been reported to increase skeletal muscle, stimulate muscle growth and decrease risk of obesity.

7. Citrus Fruits(Lemons, Oranges, Limes and Grapefruits)

Orange peels packs in twice as much vitamin C as what is inside. Also, it contains higher concentrations of B6, riboflavin, magnesium, calcium and potassium. The peel’s flavonoids also have anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties.

As nutritious as citrus peels are, you are not going to start eating oranges whole. The entire peel is bitter and is difficult to digest. Instead, you can grate the peel and sprinkle it on top of a vinaigrette dressing or salads. Citrus shavings make a good pairing with chocolate and ice cream as well.

8. Grapes

Red and purple grapes all contain resveratrol. Resveratrol is the anti aging miracle and the main reason why red wine is known as a nutritious drink.

Resveratrol is an antioxidant that helps in protecting your body against free radical damage which leads to disease and aging. This is one of the main reason to eat organic red grapes with the skins on. The concentration of reseveratrol is higher in the skin of red grapes than it is in red wine.

9. Kiwi

You have probably been spooning out the green flesh inside the kiwi for years, but a kiwi’s fuzzy exterior is also edible. In fact, its skin contains more antioxidants, flavonoids and vitamin C than the insides and twice the fiber.

So throw out the spoon, wash the kiwi and eat it like a peach. If you find the fuzz unappetizing, you can scrape it off first.

10. Watermelon

Watermelon contains citrulline, which has antioxidant properties and converts to arginine, an essential amino acid that is beneficial to your heart health, circulatory system and immune system.

Most of that citrulline is present in the rind. Eating a rind might sound unappetizing, but it can be pickled, like a cucumber, or simply seasoned and sautéed. Or you can add it in a blender with the some lime and watermelon flesh.

Read More:
1. 5 Reasons to Drink Pomegranate Peel Tea and How to Prepare It
2. What are the Surprising Health Benefits of Citrus Peels
3. Fall Asleep in Less Than 10 Minutes With This Tangerine Peel Tea

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