Discard veggie peeler – stalks, skins healthiest

LONDON: To give your health an extra boost, put the vegetable peeler back in the drawer – those skins, stalks and scrappy bits we chop or pare off fruit and vegetables are often the healthiest bits of all.

“Some nutrients, such as vitamin C and fibre, are more concentrated in or just under the skin, so you can dilute the benefits by removing it,” says dietitian Helen Bond.

“And those bits you tend to discard, the harder, redder outsides of onions or the darker, outside bits of leafy greens, tend to be higher in compounds such as flavonoids and carotenoids, which have reputed anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects.”

STRAWBERRY

Don’t discard: The green leafy top. Instead: Steep in hot water to make a herbal tea.

Those star-shaped leaves attached to the top of a strawberry – the hull or calyx – are packed with antioxidants. A study in the Czech Journal of Food Sciences reported strawberry leaves have antioxidant levels comparable to white wine and fruit drinks such as grape juice, and just a bit lower than red wine or green tea.

Antioxidants mop up harmful molecules known as free radicals, which our bodies produce naturally, and are thought to help protect us against the type of damage that can lead to cancer and heart disease.

Strawberry leaves contain high amounts of a group of antioxidants called ellagitannins, which are linked with vascular health.

In traditional herbal medicine, strawberry leaves are also used to soothe arthritis pain. They contain caffeic acid, which is thought to be antiinflammatory.

Steep six to seven strawberry calyxes in a mug of hot water to replace one or more of your cups of tea a day.

ONIONS

Don’t discard: The skin. Instead: Add to stock.

The papery skin isn’t something you can eat as it is, but these inedible layers can be added to stocks, where they will give extra depth of flavour and nutrients.

The skin is the part of the onion richest in the pigment quercetin – it’s not destroyed by boiling and will leach into the stock.

“Research suggests quercetin is graduated throughout the onion, with one investigation showing as much as 48 times the amount in the skin compared with the centre,” says Bond.

Quercetin has antiinflammatory and anti-histamine properties and has been linked with reduced hay-fever symptoms.

It may help with hypertension too.

In a 2015 British Journal of Nutrition study, an extract of onion skin was found to lower blood pressure in overweight adults with high blood pressure when taken daily for six weeks.

BUTTERNUT

Don’t discard: The seeds. Instead: Roast them.

Like pumpkin seeds, butternut squash seeds are a good source of important minerals, in particular zinc (you get 15% of your daily needs in one 15g tablespoon) and magnesium (you get more than 10% of your daily needs per tablespoon).

Zinc is important for cognitive function and the reproductive system, while magnesium helps with energy production and can fight fatigue.

Scoop out the seeds, pat them dry and toast in a brush of oil in a medium oven for 20 minutes or so, says Bond. They also make a tasty sprinkle that you can add to salads, cereal or yoghurt.

SPRING ONIONS

Don’t discard: The green ends. Instead: Chop finely and add to dips, stir-fries and salads or use as a garnish for soup.

Many people throw out the green, milder-tasting part of the vegetable, but it’s actually a better source of the B vitamin folate, which is important for energy, Bond points out.

Eat the whole of a spring onion (a larger one weighs about 25g) and you’ll get 54 micrograms of folate, just more than a quarter of the recommended daily amount, compared with the 17mcg you get from eating only the bulb.

You’ll also get plenty of beta carotene – around an eighth of your daily need of immuneenhancing vitamin A, compared with virtually none if you eat only the bulb.

PINEAPPLE

Don’t discard: The core. Instead: Chop into small pieces and use in a fruit salad.

Though a little tougher and less sweet than the meat, pineapple core is perfectly edible and richer in bromelain, a protein-digesting enzyme used in powdered form as a meat tenderiser.

Bromelain consumed in foods or supplements is a natural digestive aid, so a dessert of fresh pineapple, including the core, would be good after a meat-heavy meal.

In animal and laboratory studies, bromelain has also been shown to have antiinflammatory activity, and to aid the repair of tendons and tissues, so it is sometimes recommended to help with knee pain, sports sprains and strains and arthritis.

CABBAGE

Don’t discard: The outer leaves. Instead: Chop and stir-fry them.

Those less-than-pristine deeper-green outer leaves often get thrown out, but they’re much higher in carotenoids than the paler inside leaves.

Carotenoids – plant pigment with an antioxidant effect – such as lutein and zeaxanthin, are important for eye health.

Stir-fry the outer leaves in a little oil to help the body absorb these fat-soluble antioxidants. It won’t destroy nutrients. – Daily Mail