Why you should avoid peeling some foods
To enjoy your unpeeled carrot, ensure it is properly washed. PHOTO | SHUTTERSTOCK
What you need to know:
Caution. According to Bena Okiria, a nutritionist, there should be a balance because you want to make the food more digestible and appealing to those that you are cooking for. For example, children may refuse to eat unpeeled food.
It is also important that you wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly because they are likely to be contaminated with pesticides and other contaminants.
Many times, nutritionists and dietetics advise that most foods (especially fruits and vegetables) be consumed with the peelings. This is because there are a number of nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, fibre and antioxidants that are lost when you throw away the peeling.
For example, underneath the cover of the eggplants is a layer of antioxidants that give the vegetable the purple colour. When you peel it, you are missing out on the antioxidants contained therein.
Peeling is a part of food preparation that helps the food become more palatable (easy for one to eat), appealing and safe for consumption, according to Bena Okiria, a nutritionist.
Lydia Aisu Pedun, a dietitian, says the more you peel fruits and vegetables, the more you lose out on the fibre content in them. When you peel the apple for instance, you lose out on the fibre in the peeling. “While peeling, the more you cut and expose the flesh of the fruit or vegetable, the more you are exposing the nutrients to air. Many times, the nutrients in these foods react with air through a process called oxidation, the reason they turn brown after peeling,” she says.
Therefore, minimise cutting and exposure to air as well as contamination by peeling lightly.
Do not peel these
Fruits such as apples and pears and vegetables such as carrots, eggplants and cucumbers should not be peeled. The skin of cucumber contains a lot of vitamin K, fibre and potassium but it has a waxy layer. Therefore, wash cucumbers well to remove the wax but do not peel them.
To peel or not to peel potatoes may be debatable, says Aisu. She adds that the peels contain fibre, iron, vitamin C, potassium and folate. You may use a vegetable brush to scrub the potato gently before cooking instead of stripping it of these nutrients. Also, remember to wash them thoroughly.
Peel these
There are some fruits whose peelings may not be toxic but it is difficult to chew them while some are bitter. The peels of avocado, bananas, pineapple, papaya, oranges and lemons are hard to chew and bitter although they may be used as ingredients in preparation of other foods.
If you are preparing fruits for babies for instance, you may have to remove the peel because it is indigestible for them. Also, children between three to six years may refuse to eat some foods because of the peels.
“It is true there will be loss of some nutrients when you peel but it is not that these nutrients are irreplaceable. You can always find some of the nutrients you may have lost from other food sources. Therefore, peeling or not peeling is debatable,” Okiria says.
