Do not throw away the peels or fruit skins: discover what their benefits and properties are, both nutritional and for your health.
You will remember that health campaign that the Spanish Ministry of Health organized and published a few years ago under the title 5 a day, in which it promoted the consumption of 5 pieces of fresh fruits and vegetables every day, as a healthy option at the time to take care of our health and to follow a diet as healthy as possible.
And there is no doubt that the benefits of fruits are actually many: they are especially rich in vitamins (mainly provitamin a, vitamin C and vitamins of group B) and minerals (potassium and magnesium stand out above all), they provide a very large amount of fiber, and they are very rich in water and provide antioxidants.
For example, they are especially rich in fiber, highlighting in this case pectin, which is soluble in water. They provide an interesting satiating effect, while helping to prevent constipation. On the other hand, its richness in magnesium helps maintain good intestinal function, while its water content helps purify our body and eliminate toxins that have accumulated in it.
But, is it better to consume them with peel or skin, or without it? All fruits have edible peels, except for some skins that tend to be harder, such as oranges, watermelons or melons, although there are also others that are simply not commonly eaten, such as the banana or the avocado.
What are fruit peels?
We can say that the peels are the skin of the fruit. It is the place with which the fruit interacts with light, forming a variety of pigments that absorb different wavelengths of light, such as flavonoids and carotenoids (which, incidentally, are very beneficial. for our health).
What are the properties of fruit peels?
Before discovering what its main properties and benefits are, did you know that actually most of the nutrients and benefits that fruits provide us are found in their peel?
Benefits for digestion
Certain peels, such as the orange, provide phytonutrients and flavonoids in greater quantities than the orange pulp itself. Its peel is especially recommended when it comes to enjoying a good digestion, thanks in particular to its anti-inflammatory properties.
Although it is true that eating oranges can cause heartburn in some people, the opposite occurs with its peel: it helps to relieve it, in addition to reducing the discomfort caused by flatulence, diarrhea and in general by poor digestion.
As it could not be less, both the orange peel and the lemon peel are especially rich in natural antioxidants and vitamin C, ideal to enjoy a good functioning of the immune system.
They help lower blood sugar
It is an interesting quality that, above all, the green tomato peel contributes. In fact, different investigations found that consuming green tomato peel in the form of an infusion was very beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels.
We owe this effect to the presence of a compound known by the name acylsacrose, which has a hypoglycemic action.
This same quality is presented not only by the green tomato peel, but also by the peels of fruits such as blueberries, plums, apples and pears.
Help decrease fat and gain muscle
A study found that consuming the peel of certain fruits (plums, apples, pears and blueberries), helped reduce the amount of body fat while allowing you to gain muscle.
Reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels
On the other hand, the peel of fruits such as pears, apples, blueberries and plums help to reduce high levels not only of cholesterol, but also of triglycerides.
Reduce overweight and obesity
Particularly in the case of apple peel, which not only helps reduce fat levels in the blood (as we already knew in the previous paragraph). It is also rich in ursolic acid, which decreases fat mass and increases lean fat.
In addition, it helps prevent its most common complications: both prediabetes and fatty liver, by increasing energy expenditure.