Peeling vegetables can be the most tedious part of any meal as you spend extra minutes on prep time. When you’re done, you’re left with a pile of unusable skins that usually end up in the trash. But according to health experts, what we throw away is actually one of the healthiest parts of our foods.

According to Mary Jane Detroyer, a registered dietitian based in New York City, there are several reasons to leave the skin on, and the main reason is what you deprive your body of when you peel it off. The rind of produce like potatoes, carrots, and cucumbers all have plenty of health benefits.

“The skin has a lot of fiber and it’s insoluble fiber, especially when the skin is colorful,” Detroyer said.

“Most of the time, the majority of the vegetable’s nutrients are in the skin.”

One example is cucumbers, with dark green skin that contains the majority of its antioxidants, as well as most of its vitamin K.

The skin of a potato packs more nutrients — iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin C — ounce-for-ounce than the rest of the potato.

“People, when they make mashed potatoes, often feel they have to peel the skin off. But they can just boil the skin and mix it right into the rest of the mashed potatoes,” Detroyer said. She also added that the skin of vegetables contains antioxidants that fight against free radicals.

Free radicals are groups of atoms that can cause damage to the body when produced in excess, such as heart disease.

Vitamins C and E — as found in many vegetables — protect the body against the destructive effects of free radicals by neutralizing them. Additionally more colorful vegetables such as carrots and peppers have peels with phytonutrients, which contain antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and liver-health-promoting properties.

One common fear that causes people to peel their vegetables, according to Detroyer, is the amount of herbicides and pesticides that can found on the skin.

But that can be taken care of with a good wash, Detroyer said.

对于任何一顿饭来说，给蔬菜削皮都是最枯燥无味的环节，因为你要多花时间来准备。而当你削完皮后，得到的是一堆没用

的、最后要扔到垃圾堆里的蔬菜果皮。但是健康专家表示，我们扔掉的其实是食物最健康的部分之一。玛丽•简•德特罗耶是纽约的注册营养师，她说保留蔬菜表皮的原因有很多，主要原因是削皮后浪费掉的营养物质。土豆、胡萝卜、黄瓜等食物的表皮都对健康非常有益。

“蔬菜表皮含有大量不可溶性纤维，尤其是色彩鲜艳的蔬菜表皮，” 德特罗耶说。

“通常情况下，蔬菜的营养物质大部分都集中在表皮上。”

黄瓜就是一个例子，它含有的抗氧化剂和维生素K大部分都存在于其深绿色外皮上。

每盎司土豆皮要比同等质量的土豆其他部分含有更多的营养物质，如铁、钙、钾、镁、维生素B6和维生素C。

德特罗耶称：“人们在制作土豆泥

时，总觉得要把土豆皮削掉。其实他们可以直接把土豆皮煮一下，然后混进其余的土豆泥里。”

她还补充道，蔬菜表皮含有的抗氧化剂能够对抗自由基。

自由基是一群原子，数量过多时会对身体产生危害，导致心脏疾病等。

许多蔬菜中都含有维生素C和维生素E，它们能够中和自由基，保护身体免受其破坏。除此之外，胡萝卜、辣椒等颜色鲜艳的蔬菜的表皮含有植物营养素，具有抗氧化、消炎以及保护肝脏的功能。

德特罗耶说，人们之所以要给蔬菜削皮，主要是担心蔬菜果皮上的除草剂和杀虫剂。

她说只要认真清洗就可以解决这个问

题。(Chinadaily.com.cn)

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【皮壳】píké rind a tough outer covering such as bark, the skin of some fruits, or the coating on cheese or bacon

    【除草剂】chúcǎojì herbicide a substance or preparation for killing plants, especially weeds