We are all aware that waste is one of the biggest environmental problems of our time. And with resources become scarce more than ever, we should definitely not be wasting any more food than we already do.
When it comes to fruits, some like them raw, some like them cooked into desserts and others prefer to juice them up. We eat or juice the meaty parts of the fruit and throw the rest away. But did you know that there are many fruit scraps that offer more nutrition than the fruit itself?
Here’s a round-up of five fruit scraps that you need to stop throwing away!
CITRUS PEELS
You might have heard about this one already but citrus peels are the easiest to reuse. Use the zest from lemons and oranges to add some brightness to your cooking.
PINEAPPLE CORE AND PEEL
This will sound crazy to some but you can reuse the pineapple's core and skin both! The core is full of fibre and a digestion-boosting enzyme called bromelain. Turn your pineapple waste into tepache, a fermented Mexican drink that can be easily made at home.
APPLE CORE
An apple a day keeps the doctor away? But apparently, the bulk of nutritive values in apple is in its seed, according to scientists. The core offers some great bacteria which aids the digestion process. You can use the core to ferment your own apple scrap vinegar with just some sugar and dechlorinated water.
WATERMELON RIND
Watermelon rinds are rich in vitamins and should never be thrown away! The crunchy rind tastes like cucumber and makes for a great nutritious pickle. You can chop up the rind and just pickle it like you would pickle a cucumber.
KIWI SKIN
If you’re peeling kiwis and throwing the skin, you’re doing it wrong! Kiwi peels are even higher in fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants than the actual fruit itself. If you don’t feel like eating the brown skin, you can throw them into a blender and eat them in your smoothies!
Just like these fruits, there are many others that have surprisingly nutritious scraps. How many of these are you going to start eating now?