Fruit Peels?

[Humanist]

Dr. Kristine Nolfi recommended eating fruit with the seeds, cores, and peels. Has anyone tried eating orange or grapefruit peels or adding them to smoothies?

[freshlight]

I sometimes do it with mangoes when the skin is really thin....you can also do it with some avos (not all) and papaya. But orange? hmmmm...their peel doesn't look that yummy to me ;)

[RawKnitster]

Citrus ? No. Just the opposite. It's my understanding that we should not eat citrus peels, other than a tiny amount of grated peel in a recipe that calls for orange or lemon "zest".

It is good to eat the "pith" , which is the white part of citrus peels. Rather than peel citrus, I use a knife to cut away the color and leave as much pith as possible.

Don't apple seeds contain a touch of arsenic? Probably not enough to harm us?? :)

[mihai_alexandru73]

I've read smewhere that the seeds from apples are toxic... they contain small ammounts of some toxic substance, and they can even kill in large amounts. :(

[mattshor]

I have heard that many fruit seeds contain arsenic and arsenic does not flush out of your system, so the build up is cumulative. But I don't have a source for it.

[Pistachios]

I've known of people who used the peel of homegrown citrus fruits for tea. I would definitely not use the peels from commercially grown citrus. If you read the labels on bags of oranges for instance, it would say that it was treated with xyz chemical [to kill pests]. These are chemicals that are not easily rinsed off with water since the fruit is coated to be able to remain on the fruit even when it is rained on. I don't want these chemicals in my body since they were never intended to be part of a healthy diet

[JCB44]

My grandfather always said if you had a bad headache to eat an orange peel. I have done this several times. I have actually acquired a taste for the peels.

[Humanist]

Some sources say that apple seeds contain cyanide, which is detoxified by the body. Others say they contain laetrile, useful for combatting cancer.

[sport]

I would use the actions of animals in the wild as the guideline. Do they peel.

[mihai_alexandru73]

Do monkeys peel their bananas? lol

I've heard of someone that says it is good to soak cytrus peels in a glass of water and then drink the water, which is presumed to be full of vitamins. Any opinions?

[sport]

Do monkeys peel their bananas? lol

I've heard of someone that says it is good to soak cytrus peels in a glass of water and then drink the water, which is presumed to be full of vitamins. Any opinions?
I would do that when I was little but I did it to add some flavour to the water (we had no access to soda thankfully).
I would chop it finely and let it soak for a while.
Did not realise that I was adding to my vitamin count.

[adiebabe]

Apple seeds actually contain a form of cyanide and can make you sick if you take in enough. Eating them isn't that big a deal (your body can deal with small amounts) but don't start chewing the suckers! Blending them up wouldn't be advised either, as well as our bodies can de-tox small amounts of cyanide, it can make you feel sick (headaches and such).

Don't know about others here but I found the odd lemon seed I missed fishing out and blended by accident made stuff taste terrible!

As for Oranges, it seems logical to assume that a fresh peel (organic and scrubbed preferably) is edible...unless there is something they do when they make candied orange peel that makes it 'okay'. People eat it all the time. When I was a kid I remember I munched on it from time to time...

[mihai_alexandru73]

It looks like orange peels are loaded with nutrients...

http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-orange-peel-i9216

Better than throwing them in the trash can!

Edit: I'd like to eat all peels because it would be a waste to throw them away, BUT I'm pondering on the whole insecticides, pesticides problem. Here in Romania we don't have yet any labelling to food to show us that's organic, so you have to choose for yourself.

[appifanie]

i've eaten whole lemons since i was little