Should You Peel Fruits and Vegetables?
By Sara Butler
The more fruits and vegetables you eat, the healthier you’ll be. That’s just a nutritional fact! But how you eat those fruits and vegetables can have a big impact on just how much benefit you get from them. One of the biggest questions surrounding fruit and veg is if the skins should stay on or if they should be peeled. Many people make a choice based on personal preference, but it’s important to have all the information so you can make a choice based on health.
The Peel is Nutrient-Rich
It’s a fact that the peels of most fruits and vegetables are where most of the good stuff is. Good stuff such as vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Even beneficial plant compounds that ward off disease and make fruits and veggies so good for you are often found in the peel.
An apple is a great example. If you leave the skin on your apple, then it will have 142 percent more Vitamin A, 332 percent more Vitamin K, 115 percent more calcium, and 20 percent more calcium than a peeled apple.
Plus, a lot of healthy fiber is lost when you remove the peel since it can have up to 30 percent of its total fiber in the skin. So, it stands to reason that leaving the peel on your fruits and vegetables is a boon to your health.
A Few Exceptions
Of course, there are always exceptions to every rule! Some fruits and vegetables have skins that are very difficult to clean or simply can’t be eaten. An avocado is a great example, along with melons, pineapples, bananas, celeriac, and onions. These all have an outer peel that is tough to chew and even more difficult for your body to digest, so most people peel these before eating.
You also can’t discount the pesticide factor. It doesn’t matter if you choose organically grown produce or not, then they can both contain pesticides. Washing is essential to removing pesticides from the peels of the foods you eat, but some foods will need to be peeled in order to make sure you remove pesticide residue. Make sure you do your research in order to discover which fruits and vegetables have the most exposure to pesticides and what you can do to reduce your exposure.
Know the facts about your fruits and vegetables in order to understand if peeling them is really necessary!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Fontana, Calif.