Fruits and vegetables: is it better to peel them?

Many people peel fruits and vegetables before eating, but this is often not necessary. The peel contains important nutrients. In addition to the fact that the peel of discarded fruits and vegetables contributes to climate change.

Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fiber, and many phytochemicals (plant chemicals), including antioxidants (substances that protect cells from damage). Insufficient consumption of these nutrient-rich foods is associated with an increased risk of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes. In 2017, the World Health Organization reported that about 3.9 million deaths worldwide each year are associated with people not eating enough quantity of fruits and vegetables.

The WHO-recommended 400 grams of fruits and vegetables per day is difficult for many to achieve. But what if eating these unrefined foods helped solve the problem by adding important nutrients to our diet?

This can certainly help. For example, the skins of seven root vegetables: beets, field mustard, wild carrots, sweet potatoes, radishes, ginger, and white cabbage contain significant amounts of vitamins, such as vitamin C and riboflavin, and minerals, such as iron and zinc. potatoes. The USDA estimates that unpeeled apples contain 15% more vitamin C, 267% more vitamin K, 20% more calcium, 19% more potassium, and 85% more fiber than their peeled counterparts.

In addition, many peels are rich in bioactive phytochemicals such as flavonoids and polyphenols, which have antioxidant and antimicrobial properties.

Another reason not to throw away the peel is its impact on the environment. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, uneaten food, including the peel, generates 8% to 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, mostly methane. In New Zealand alone, a country of only 5.1 million people, 13,658 tons of vegetable peels and 986 tons of fruit peels are discarded each year.

Given the nutritional content of the peel and its contribution to food waste, why are fruits and vegetables peeled? There is no other cure when the outer parts are inedible, do not taste good, are difficult to peel, or cause some damage, as is the case with bananas, oranges, melons, pineapples, mangoes, avocados, onions, and garlic. Also, cleansing can be a necessary part of a recipe, for example when making puree. But there are many edible skins (potatoes, beets, carrots, kiwis and cucumbers) that we keep peeling unnecessarily.

Are there pesticide residues on the skin?

Some people peel fruits and vegetables because they are afraid of pesticides. While it is true that pesticide residues can accumulate on or directly below surfaces, most of them are washed away. In fact, the US Food and Drug Administration recommends washing fruit and vegetable pieces under plenty of cold water and scrubbing with a stiff brush to remove pesticides, dirt, and chemicals.

Cooking methods such as boiling and steaming can also reduce pesticide residue. But since not all of them are removed by washing and cooking, it can be helpful to check the lists of pesticides in fruits and vegetables. Among them is a product prepared by the Pesticide Action Network for the United Kingdom. This can help us decide which fruits and vegetables we should peel and which are safe to eat.

If you want to learn more about the skins of fruits and vegetables and what to do with them, there are plenty of tips online, including help on how to use them for composting, worm feeding, or incorporating into recipes.

With a little research and creativity, we can help reduce waste and increase your fruit and vegetable intake. It is certainly worth trying and helping to achieve one of the UN’s sustainable development goals: to halve food waste by 2030.

Kirsty Hunter, Senior Lecturer in Dietetics, Nottingham Trent University

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original.