Many people have a habit of peeling apples before eating them due to concerns about pesticides and preservatives. However, research has shown that apple peels provide many beneficial nutrients and minerals for health.
Important Considerations When Eating Apples
Apples are a “golden” fruit not only in cuisine but also as a remedy capable of preventing and treating many types of diseases. There is a saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Many studies indicate that eating apples daily can reduce the risk of early death from cancer by 35% and extend lifespan.
A medium-sized apple contains only 95 calories but is packed with vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin C, potassium, fiber, carbohydrates, and other plant compounds including quercetin, catechin, chlorogenic acid, etc. Apples are also rich in polyphenols, which have antioxidant effects. These antioxidants are found in both the skin and flesh of the apple.
If you peel an apple, you are also stripping away its nutrients! Therefore, choose clean food, wash thoroughly, and change your habit of peeling apples before eating.
Nearly half of the vitamin C content of an apple is found beneath its skin.
1. Fiber in Apple Peels
The skin of an apple contains about 4.4g of fiber, including both soluble and insoluble fiber, with approximately 77% being insoluble. Insoluble fiber functions to bind with water and push digestive waste through the colon, preventing indigestion and constipation.
On the other hand, soluble fiber helps the body maintain a feeling of fullness, prevents blood sugar spikes, and slows nutrient absorption. It also supports cholesterol reduction. This is why apples are often included in healthy diets.
2. Apple Peels are Rich in Vitamins
Did you know that nearly half of the vitamin C content of an apple is found in its skin? The skin of an apple contains up to 8.4 mg of Vitamin C and 98 IU of Vitamin A. When you peel an apple, these nutrients decrease to 6.4 mg of Vitamin C and 61 IU of Vitamin A. Therefore, not peeling apples when eating them is a good idea, allowing your body to absorb more nutrients.
Triterpenoid compounds found in apple peels can kill cancer cells.
3. Cancer Prevention
A 2007 study from Cornell University (USA) showed that triterpenoid compounds found in apple peels can kill cancer cells, particularly colorectal, breast, and liver cancer cells.
According to the American Institute for Cancer Research, apples are among the few foods containing antioxidants that help reduce the risk of lung cancer.
4. Treating Respiratory Diseases
Experts conducted a study in 2004 showing that individuals who consume at least 5 apples per week have better lung function and lower asthma rates, thanks to a flavonoid called quercetin. This compound is primarily found in apple peels, not in the flesh of the apple. Quercetin has antiviral properties that prevent colds, support lung function, and reduce the risk of asthma.
Additionally, quercetin has been shown to combat tissue damage in the brain associated with Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative issues.
5. Weight Loss
Good news for those looking to lose weight is to eat apples and not peel them.
Apples are often chosen in the diets of people wanting to lose weight. The good news for weight watchers is to eat apples without peeling them. The skin of the apple contains ursolic acid, an essential compound that increases muscle fat, burns calories, reducing the risk of obesity.
6. Other Nutritional Benefits
According to the University of Illinois, apple peels also contain important minerals such as potassium, calcium, folate, iron, and phosphorus, which play various essential roles in maintaining strong bones, regulating cell growth, and producing healthy red blood cells.
However, current fruit often contains chemicals and pesticides that are harmful to health. Therefore, not all apples grown organically need to be washed properly. You can rinse apples with clean water once to remove dust and wax from the skin. Then, wash the apple skin thoroughly with diluted saltwater. Pay attention to wash the stem area well since it is where many bacteria and chemicals accumulate. Finally, rinse with clean water again and let dry.
If you do not like eating apple peels, consider preparing apples in various ways to make them more delicious.
7. The “Extremely Toxic” Part of the Apple That Should Not Be Eaten
Apples are very beneficial for the body, helping to stimulate appetite in those deficient in zinc and preventing diabetes. However, there is a part of the apple that contains a deadly toxin if consumed in large amounts, which is the apple seed.
Apple seeds contain a substance called amygdalin, which metabolizes into cyanide when the seeds are chewed or crushed.
This serves as an effective protective mechanism for the fruit since cyanide inhibits the supply of oxygen to your body’s cells and can kill a person within minutes at a sufficiently high dose.
Accidentally eating one or two seeds won’t kill you, but it can cause negative health effects such as dizziness, fatigue, headaches, nausea, and abdominal pain. But do not worry if you just swallow the seeds whole without chewing them.
In this case, they are likely to pass through your digestive system undigested. Only when the seeds are crushed does the process of converting to cyanide occur.
