Eating fruits and vegetables with their skins on can help preserve important nutrients — including fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants — that contribute to overall health. Although it is common practice to peel these foods before eating, nutritionists recommend keeping the skin whenever it is safe to do so.

According to specialists cited by the portal Notícias ao Minuto, skins act as a protective barrier for plants and can concentrate beneficial compounds such as fibre and polyphenols, as well as other antioxidants.

Nutritionist Elizabeth Shaw explains that this outer layer protects fruit from environmental factors and can therefore present a significant concentration of these compounds. Sylvia Klinger similarly highlights the presence of fibre, vitamins, and antioxidants.

Below is a list of seven fruits and vegetables that nutritionists recommend consuming with the skin on.

1. Apples

Apple skin contains fibre, micronutrients including vitamin K and potassium, and plant compounds such as flavonoids and other polyphenols. The latter have antioxidant properties that help protect cells from free radicals, the accumulation of which can contribute to inflammatory processes and chronic disease.

2. Pears

Pears are well known for their fibre content, and the skin is one of the key sources of this nutrient. Both the skin and the flesh contain bioactive plant compounds, including antioxidants and polyphenols, which may contribute to overall skin health.

3. Sweet Potato

Cooked or roasted with the skin on, sweet potato can provide additional nutrients. The flesh is known for its beta-carotene content, which the body converts into vitamin A, while the skin contributes to the absorption of other nutrients. Beta-carotene and vitamin C play important roles in antioxidant protection and collagen production.

Before preparing sweet potato, it is recommended to scrub it thoroughly with a vegetable brush under cold running water.

4. Cucumbers

In addition to contributing to hydration, cucumbers provide fibre and micronutrients. The dark green skin contains vitamin K and other protective plant compounds. According to Elizabeth Shaw, keeping the skin can provide nearly double the amount of vitamin K compared with a peeled cucumber.

Careful washing under running water is important before consumption.

5. Aubergine

The purple skin of aubergine contains anthocyanins, including nasunin, a compound with antioxidant properties. These substances have been studied for their possible role in cellular protection and healthy ageing. Keeping the skin is a simple way to preserve these compounds.

6. Peaches

Peach skin contributes to fibre intake and the consumption of plant compounds. According to Elizabeth Shaw, eating fruits and vegetables of different colours helps provide the body with a variety of micronutrients and protective substances that may contribute to overall health.

7. Carrots

Carrots consumed with their skin on can provide more fibre and phytonutrients than peeled ones, according to nutritionist Sylvia Klinger. To make the most of these nutrients, it is important to wash carrots thoroughly before eating or cooking them.

In general, keeping the skin on edible fruits and vegetables can contribute to a diet richer in fibre and protective compounds. However, foods should always be washed thoroughly before consumption, and the skin should be removed when it is damaged or when there are food safety reasons to do so.

Source: Diário Económico
Original article: https://www.diarioeconomico.co.mz/?p=555801