The first step of your summer eating plan should include eating a rainbow of colourful fruits and veggies, including leafy greens such as spinach. They also offer an array of vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients with no or very little sugar content. You may want to choose low- or non-fat varieties, and choose organic produce whenever possible. If you do eat produce, there's good news—your local grocery store will likely carry some produce that has been prepared using healthier techniques. Here’s how to tell if food has been processed and what to ask about—and whether to peel or leave alone.
Is it better to peel a vegetable or fruit?
Many people don’t opt for peelings because they believe they're less healthy than cooking with whole foods, like potatoes, but research suggests otherwise. When used correctly, peels can help provide nutrients that might be missing from other, unprocessed options, like raw or steamed vegetables, and offer protection against unwanted insects, disease, or bacteria. Depending on the variety, peels may have different effects on health. Some studies suggest that peeled veggies and fruits may contain fewer calories and higher amounts of antioxidants, while others say they offer lower levels of phytochemicals (antioxidants found naturally in plants).
To get most nutrients, though, try to peel after shopping at a supermarket and before consuming them. That way you won't end up ingesting any artificial preservatives or additives. For the best results, opt for peeled and prepped fruits and vegetables—but always stick to those when you're choosing where to shop. Make sure that each brand is made by only one factory and that all products come with a free 120-day money-back guarantee. You'll also find many brands offer extended warranties with easy return policies, so don't skimp when buying a product. Consider these tips for getting the maximum health benefits from unpeeled produce and snacks:
Cut the stems or leaves right off the stalk or stem to eliminate the risk of fungal infection. Try slicing fruit that is still edible if an insect is present. Use scissors instead of knives, which will cause the fruit’s skin to break apart, helping prevent damage. Avoid cutting entire fruits or vegetables. Instead, cut thinned slices around the outer rim to avoid adding extra water or air while ensuring the plant has enough space for growing. Always wash the fruit thoroughly with hot running water before use. This will remove all dirt and dust from the inside and help reduce the formation of pesticides in plants. Do not heat the peel or the flesh. Heat can destroy enzymes in a fruit, causing its nutrients to be reduced and its flavor to disappear, according to experts who studied this topic in 2016. Leave the entire fruit or vegetable raw. Although cooking food destroys viruses and bacteria, leaving it raw reduces its ability to kill germs. "We don’t know whether our immune system is built to handle cooked food," says Mark Ralston, Ph.D., professor of nutrition at Penn State University. His team tested raw chicken breast samples and found that they were highly resistant to flu A, E, and h1N1—all viruses typically associated with illness, not just avian flu. So instead of reheating hot meals, prepare them in small quantities and freeze portions for later use. Once frozen, keep the rest of the fridge away from the food for 1 hour or longer, then return the food to room temperature for 30 minutes. Wait 10 minutes after opening the refrigerator before returning it to the freezer to thaw slightly and again for 3 hours. After thawing, allow the food to thaw in the fridge for another 20 minutes before putting it back into freezer-friendly containers. Finally, make sure the containers you put fresh food in are labeled “freeze-resistant." Otherwise their contents could remain at temperatures of too high or too low for long periods of time. Don’t throw out leftovers. Leftovers are often left uncooked, unsalted, and without adequate time to prepare them well. That means they contain harmful compounds, such as nitrates, ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, or ammonium hydroxide that can leach into your drinking water or other foods if eaten undigested. Freeze-dried food offers similar health benefits, offering benefits of preserving nutrients and preventing nutrient degradation, reducing the need for preservatives, and protecting against bacterial or fungus contamination. Keep leftover food refrigerated until ready to consume. Even once defrosted, this cold storage method keeps food fresher for longer, allowing it to become easier to digest and keeping your body from overgrowth of pathogenic microbes. And because the moisture from food stored in dry ice is preserved, you’ll generally taste better after eating it.
Is it okay to mix and match ingredients?
You can always add seasonings or other ingredients separately to recipes, although doing so can lead to a richer taste and texture. However, mixing components of the same piece of fruit or vegetable can lead to the creation of new flavors. Mixing two or more different types of fruit or vegetables doesn’t harm the color or flavor of fruits and vegetables, but it does alter the nutritional composition. Because vegetables are not technically part of the seed and are therefore composed of smaller parts, they can absorb the flavoring components—including vitamin C, carotenoids, phenolic acids, calcium, iron, and various minerals—of fruits and spices. As a result, one person’s tomato salad with chopped celery, carrot wedges, bell peppers, and diced tomatoes may not be the same as someone else’s salad.
How much should my produce peels be?
You can remove the skin from a whole fruit and then chop it up into bite-sized pieces for use in dishes. Or choose sliced apples, pears, plums, apricots, melons, oranges, grapefruit, cantaloupe, mango, peaches, nectarines, pomegranates, and pineapple—and enjoy! People tend to prefer the skins of melons and strawberries to those of other fruits and veggies (including green melons), according to Dr. Amy Kline, M.S., RD, founder and medical director of MyHealthPro Health and Wellness Center in Brooklyn, New York. She recommends removing the outermost layer of the top 1 inch of the melon so seeds can grow inside. If there are seeds, her advice is to slice across the bottom to release excess water and prevent mold from growing near the center of the fruit. Be careful while trimming—the pieces need to retain plenty of shape and form to give them an attractive appearance. If cutting small, make sure the edges are straight, not curved, so the edges are flat and flush with the surface. Cut only once the flesh has completely reached the desired width, about halfway down the side.
If you're planning to cook the produce, read this article carefully, consult the recipe card, weigh the ingredient list carefully, and then follow the directions exactly. Also, ensure that all the produce is washed in cold running water and that it's still cool at room temperature. You may want to place it in a shallow dish or bowl rather than on the counter. Using tongs and utensils is safer and easier on your hands. If the item is really ripe, be aware of your teeth and gums, and watch the juices turn yellow. Remove the whole item; the pulp is edible and can be added to recipes and mixed into things like sauces and smoothies.
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