In a world where getting access to the nutrients we need can be a challenge to fit into our daily lives, there’s an easy and affordable option that fixes our issue: Fruit. While it is already widely known that fruits contain many nutritional benefits for our health, not many people realize the value that is wasted when we throw our fruit peels away. Yes, the skins and peels that make up the iconic look of many fruits are quite good for us and for some reason, we keep throwing them out even though they can be hidden treasures. Put simply, many of the most common fruit peels we throw out are worth a save.

Kiwi

   Let’s start with the kiwi, the skin from a kiwi may initially appear to be unappetizing at face value due to the hair and texture of the outer skin. However, in actuality, it has some truly amazing health benefits that go beyond the vitamins contained in the meat of the fruit itself. 

   A major nutrient you can get from kiwi skin is Vitamin E, which helps prevent and reverse various disease complications. Vitamin C is also contained in the skin and can help support healing wounds and repairing bones and teeth, not to mention the high amounts of fiber too which are great for maintaining bowel movements. 

   While it can be intimidating to try eating kiwi skin at first, given the health benefits, it’s worth a shot given how many positives there are.

Orange

   Oranges are increasingly popular and widely recognized as a superfood which goes to show all the great benefits they can have. The peels contain a good amount of Vitamin B6, which is important for brain development and for creating neurotransmitters that carry out signals between nerves throughout your body. There’s also a lot of calcium which is very helpful for strengthening bone health alongside helping to protect from cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. There’s also a link to orange peels aiding in fighting against chronic conditions like obesity and Alzheimer’s due to the high levels of polyphenols they contain. 

   The health benefits of orange peels are undeniable, but similar to kiwi they can be a bit unappetizing at an initial glance. A popular way to consume these peels is by grating them into zest which can be added to a myriad of dishes, like many salad or chicken recipes. By using this method you still absorb the nutrients found within the peel while consuming it more appealingly.

Watermelon

   While the sweet and fresh taste of the watermelon flesh doesn’t quite carry onto the skin of it, given the amount of nutrients it carries there’s no doubt that it’s worth incorporating into your diet. The most beneficial part of the watermelon rind is likely the amino acids it contains called citrulline. These amino acids are incredibly useful in relieving sore muscles and are also used to rebalance the amount of nitrogen found in our bloodstream. While the flesh of the watermelons contains some amounts of citrulline, the rind has significantly more which lends itself to be a worthy inclusion during a meal. Ways to prepare this for better taste could be to pickle the rind just as you would a cucumber or even juice it to create a high-nutrient beverage.

Bananas

   Bananas are perhaps the hardest peel of them all to stomach given the bitter and unpleasant taste, though banana peels still prove to be astonishingly nutrient-dense and beneficial to our health. They contain large amounts of polyphenols and carotenoids which help with your cardiovascular health. Beyond that, banana peels when eaten unripened (meaning when they’re green) have the ability to increase antioxidant levels which has correlations with reducing your risk of cancer. With all the positives surrounding banana peels, it’s worth giving it a try using different methods, such as blending it into a smoothie or even boiling it to give the peel a softer texture. 

   In closing, across these varying types of fruit peels, there are different options for people to experiment with and see if they’d like to incorporate them into their daily diet. Not all of these will taste equally as good as their normal counterparts, especially the bitterness of banana peels or the texture of watermelon rinds, but they all offer substantial value that is worth considering the next time you decide to eat one of them. Ensuring that you’re receiving the amount of nutrients needed for a healthy diet is a prominent struggle many face, and so taking advantage of the fruits we eat and getting the most nutrients we can out of them is a great way to help us reach our goals and expectations for ourselves.