Hey there, viewers!
Fruits and veggies are great for your health.
We all know that.
But how you eat them has a lot of impact on the nutrients you’re getting.
Eating them raw or steamed will give you most of the nutrients, while frying or cooking
them at high temperatures will destroy a lot of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
But you’ll be surprised to know that even the simple act of peeling impacts their nutrition
levels.
In today’s video, we’ll be talking about 7 fruits and veggies you shouldn’t peel,
and 4 fruits you should.
From kiwis to cucumbers, we’ll be discussing several fruits and veggies AND more.
Let’s start with things you SHOULDN’T peel...
1.
Berries, cherries and grapes Not only is peeling a berry a challenging
thing to do, the peels themselves have a number of antioxidants and nutrients.
Something you don’t want to miss out on.
It’s necessary that you eat grapes with the skin on.
The antioxidants are countless.
More than most fruits and veggies!
One of the things you do before you eat fruits and vegetables is wash them with water.
This is because of all the pesticides that might be on them.
The moment people hear the word “pesticide”, they’re convinced it's best to take the
skin off.
Not true!
If you’re one of those people who peels the skin off everything, you may be losing
out on a lot of important nutrients.
The skin usually contains more fiber, antioxidants and nutrients than the flesh itself.
In fact, experts suggest that unpeeled fruits and vegetables can have as much as 33% more
fiber.
The skin of fruits could have as much as 328 times more antioxidants compared to the flesh.
Of course, it’s not the same in every fruit and vegetable.
Do you love eating grapes, cherries, or berries?
Which is your favorite?
How do you eat them?
Share your preferences with the Bestie community in the comments below...
2.
Pears, peaches and plums Similar to berries and grapes, the skin of
pears, peaches and plums are also rich in nutrients and antioxidants.
In addition, the skins of these fruits are also packed with fiber.
One study showed that when the skins of peaches were removed before being eaten, you end up
with as much as 48% fewer antioxidants than when the skin is on.
Do you not like eating these fruits with the skin?
How about you try chopping them all together and mixing them in a big bowl?
Drizzle some honey maple dressing, and voila!
Your fruit salad is ready to eat!
If you like a little punch in your salad, you can even add some freshly squeezed lime
juice.
You won’t even realize the skin’s still on.
3.
Apples and apricots Apples are one of the fruits you should never
peel the skin off before eating.
The skin of an apple has insoluble fiber, and is also packed with vitamins A and C.
It’s the same case with apricots.
While they may not be as popular as apples, apricots are still really enjoyable, and have
a ton of health benefits.
These fruits are also rich in a flavonoid called quercetin.
This particular flavonoid can function as an antioxidant.
Quercetin can reduce inflammation, as well as your risk of cancer.
It can also help with your blood pressure, and blood sugar.
4.
Tomatoes Most people keep the skin on anyways, but
in case you were thinking about peeling a tomato, don’t.
Tomato skin has a high concentration of naringenin (narring-uh-neen).
This flavonoid can reduce the chances of inflammation, and also protect you from disease.
In one study, results showed that cooking tomatoes with the skin increased the number
of nutrients they hold when you consume them.
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Kiwis and cucumbers Many people peel kiwis and throw out their
skins.
They only seem to want to eat the flesh of the fruit.
You’d be surprised to find that the kiwi skins can be edible.
More importantly, the fruit’s skin is packed with vitamin C. Also, eating the skin increases
the amount of fiber you consume by more than three times what you would get by eating just
the fruit.
One vegetable people tend to peel the skin off is cucumber.
But cucumber skin is packed with vitamin K, fiber and potassium.
Before you consume the skin, you need to wash it well, and wipe it off.
This is because the skin can have a waxy layer.
6.
Eggplants and zucchini When you eat either eggplants or zucchini,
it would be better if you can keep the skin around.
The skin of these vegetables are rich with extra fiber, flavonoids and magnesium.
Additionally, these skins have a high amount of water in them.
For instance, zucchini has 95% water, while an eggplant has 92% water.
Most of the nutrients you get from these vegetables are through the skins.
7.
Potatoes Potatoes can be used in a variety of ways,
whether you boil them, fry them or mash them.
Whichever way you choose, the skin is usually peeled off first.
You shouldn’t be doing this!
The potato peel is packed with fiber, iron, vitamin C, potassium and folate.
Rather than peeling the potatoes, it’s best to gently brush the potato and scrub it off
before you throw it in the pot.
There are some fruits and vegetables with skin you should definitely peel off before
eating.
But that doesn’t mean you just throw the skin away.
You can still make use of the nutrients from the skin of these next types of foods...
But before we move ahead, here’s another video you might like.
Fruits and veggies give you a ton of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
Here’s a guide to every vitamin you need and how to get them.
Now back to foods you should peel...
1.
Citrus Fruits When you have citrus fruits such as lemons
and oranges, you tend to peel off the skin before you eat them.
Peeling the skin off an orange is almost therapeutic.
However, you shouldn’t just throw the skin in the trash.
Because citrus fruits are some of the most antioxidant-rich foods you can have, you can
cook the skin.
You may be asking yourself what the purpose is?
Well you can make it into a type of flavoring, and then use it for your meals.
2.
Pumpkins and Winter Squashes You need to consume pumpkin in other ways
outside of a spiced latte.
Pumpkins and winter squashes are both very good for you.
These are things you generally eat after taking the peel off.
But you shouldn’t throw them away!
Instead, cook these skins and soften them up.
This way, they’re a lot easier to eat.
3.
Tropical Fruits There are tropical fruits you should always
peel before eating.
This list includes pineapple, papaya, bananas, and mangoes.
Some of these are pretty obvious.
I mean, imagine trying to eat a pineapple with its skin on!
That sounds like torture.
Melons are on the list too.
All these fruits either have skins that are difficult to chew, or they’re straight up
inedible. 4.
Avocado, Garlic, and Onions Imagine trying to eat onion with its skin
on!
Sure, their skin is softer than most, but it would taste pretty gross.
If you try to eat the skin of an avocado, you’ll find it’s very difficult to digest.
While avocados are a great source of fiber, potassium, folic acid and monounsaturated
fats, the skin should be thrown in the garbage.
When it comes to garlic and onions, you will find that it’s nearly impossible to eat
their skin.
They’re good enough for you without it.
As you can see, there are many fruits and vegetables that have more nutrients in their
skin than in the flesh.
This doesn’t mean the flesh is terrible for you.
The skin is just better in certain cases.
If you find the skin is too difficult to digest, it’s better to simply not bother with it.
Even if you lose out on their nutrients, you will still get your vitamins and minerals
from the flesh.
Speaking of fruits, there are so many that provide terrific nutrients, it would be impossible
to name them all in one video.
Have I sparked your interest, let’s keep the conversation going with a couple more
fruit-related videos, shall we?
Here’s what you need to know...
Check out the 11 Most Nutrient Dense Fruits On The Planet!
You can also try our video on 9 Fruits You Should Be Eating, And 8 You Shouldn’t If
You’re Diabetic.
Go ahead, click one.
Or better yet, watch both, and learn more about eating a healthier diet.
Do you eat any of these fruits and veggies on the regular?
Let us know in the comments below!