8 reasons why you must eat the peels too

Would you call me nuts if I told you that I am big peel eater, and that I often prefer it to the food itself? How about if I told you that while depoding the peas, I often chew the soft peels (the soft centre portion) too along with raw peas. Well, I do. And no, I am not nuts. There’s ample research now that shows that when we trash the peels, we throw away the best (health giving) part of the produce. Okay maybe chewing the pea peel might be going a bit too far, and you needn’t follow me there, but trust me it pays big time to keep the peels on while eating most of the fruits and vegetables. That’s because maximum concentration of vitamins and minerals and antioxidants is in the peels or just below it, and they are low in calories, virtually free of fat, cholesterol and sugar.

Need more convincing? Read on. I’ll give you eight valid reasons:

Save your heart: Orange pulp has some amount of the antioxidant hesperidin (helps lower BP and tame LDL cholesterol), but its peel and the white pith just below it has much more. Don’t just throw it away, add the zest to your smoothies, salads, soups and stir fries. Or brew a tea with it. The flavonoids in apple peel help rein in unstable molecules called free radicals and prevent cardiovascular disease. So put away the peeler and bite into the fruit whole. And I think pears are a perfect fruit, as their skin is so soft and delectable, that it is easy to just bite in and score the anti inflammatory phytonutrients concentrated there.

Boost your Brain: Brinjal skin has nasunin, an anthocyanin that boosts the brain, protects it from free radical damage and improves memory (all this it does by protecting the lipids (fats) in brain cell membranes). So if you are scraping the skin, you are possibly eating away your memory too. 

Increase your lung power: Apple is quercetin rich, the compound that research says improves lung function, and it is found mostly in the peel of the apple. Check this comparison: apples without skin contain less than half the amount of quercetin as whole apples, and its juice about less than one-tenth the amount. I say pick the peel to keep your lungs strong.

Keep cancer at bay: The polyphenols in apple peels (five times more than the flesh), according to multiple studies, work against at least three different types of human cancer cells: breast, colon and liver. The anthocyanin pigments in guava too work overtime against cancer, ageing and inflammation. Brinjal (eggplants) peels are loaded with anthocyanins, and pear skin has anti-cancer phytonutrients like cinnamic acids too.

Beat depression: Peel of a banana is even richer than the fruit in serotonin, a hormone that helps combat depression, and is vital for a happy mood. So fry them and eat, or add a small chunk to the smoothies. But if you find both these options unacceptable, maybe you can boil that peel and drink the water a few times a week.

Strengthen the bones: The peel on the cucumber is loaded with vitamin K, the positive effects of which on bone-building and maintenance are well known. Pear skin has lots of vitamin K too.

Sharpen your eyesight: Cucumber peels, besides being high in fibre and vitamin K, are a good source of beta-carotene, a type of vitamin A too, which is essential for eye health. Banana peels also contains lutein, an antioxidant from the carotenoid family, which helps the retina cells to regenerate.

Keep you skinny: Dietary fibers like hemi-cellulose, pectin and more present in orange and lemon peels are known appetite suppressants. Peels boost the fibre content of the food you are eating without increasing the calories much, which equals to satiety (for eg, skin of the pear = half of the pears’ total dietary fibre). Weight watchers looking to score a lean look must not waste the ursolic acid present in apple peels as it helps build muscle and prevent their wasting which in turn ups calorie burn. Win-Win!

Worried about the pesticides and other contaminants? Opt for fruits that are fresh, without the surface cuts, blemishes, bruises (ideally organic). Wash them thoroughly in running water, and then to be doubly sure wash them with two per cent salt water (or one part vinegar mixed with four parts water), wash again with cold water and then gently pat dry using soft cloth.