We are used to removing the skin from food, even the skin from chicken, but is it really necessary because it is harmful to health or are we making a mistake and losing the best part of each food? We will leave doubts in the following paragraphs.
Where does this fear of food skin come from? And we cannot deny it, it is that many of us have a modesty for eating tomato skin, even. It is true that there are foods where clearly its skin is not edible, such as pineapple, watermelon, melon, orange, kiwi, etc. but others where we are wasting many properties of that fruit by discarding the skin.
On the other hand, it is understood that many times we remove the skin for fear of pesticides, since many times so many different types and so many quantities of them are used, that no matter how much we wash the fruit and vegetables, some “poison” we ended up swallowing. So removing the skin also drastically reduces the chances of ingesting pesticides.
So … skin yes or no?
Here we have to go step by step, and there are foods like chicken skin that are healthy to eat, since they contain healthy fats that help take care of our hearts. This is the simple part of the answer to the big question about whether or not we can eat the skin of food.
In the case of fruits, there are many peels and skins that can be reused beyond compost for plants. For example, kiwi can be eaten whole without peeling, the banana skin can be crushed and used in smoothies and cakes because it provides vitamin A, D and vitamins of group B.
The same thing happens with pumpkin, and if we grate it we can use it in cakes, soups, stews, decorations, etc. It provides us with fiber, vitamin C and carotenoids, apart from potassium if we eat the pulp of its smoothie. The same happens with the orange and the lemon.
Potatoes don’t always have to peel, we promise. An omelette with potatoes with skin is another world. The skin of this tuber so classic in the Mediterranean diet provides us with vitamins C, group B and very important minerals such as potassium, magnesium, iron and phosphorus. Apart from being very rich in fiber, adding flavor, improving digestion and not losing any properties of the potato.
The eggplant, cucumber, tomato and carrot, all of these go directly to the stomach and without peeling, you just have to wash them well and cook them, as in the case of aubergine.
What about cheeses and cold cuts?
Even with the cheese theme. If the rind is plastic or artificial, obviously it is not eaten, and that part must be cut, but if the rind is part of the cheese, as is the case with soft cheeses or goat cheese, then we can eat all of it .
As for the sausages. The vast majority, especially if they are of good quality, that bark or skin will be animal skin, so we can eat it, however, if the sausage is cut by machine and was wrapped in plastic, that quote that surrounds it will not it can be eaten.
In summary, the issue of the skin of food is more a matter of taste than anything else, except in rare occasions where we must be vigilant because it is plastic or it is difficult to digest or we may be ingesting pesticides.
