Eating the skin of fruits and vegetables: good or bad idea?

Fruits and vegetables concentrate most of their minerals and vitamins on their skin. According to VIDAL, peeling a fruit or vegetable eliminates up to 25% of its essential micronutrients. Enough to encourage us to only wash them before consuming them, if the numerous pesticides and other chemicals present on their skin would not present so many dangers to health.

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The risks involved in consuming the skin of fruits and vegetables

They also take the name of phytosanitary products and their main mission is to keep rodents, molluscs and even insects away from crops: pesticides. We are right to fear them and to want to avoid them at all costs since these chemicals collect carcinogenic substances, the regular consumption of which can lead to serious illnesses.

In France, their use is still controlled: the Directorate General for Competition, Consumption and Fraud Control states that 97% of plants sold in our country contain a level of pesticides in compliance with regulations, i.e. below authorized maximum residue limits (MRLs). Which plants are in the remaining 3%? We find peppers, tomatoes, spinach, tangerines, lettuce and grapes, fruits and vegetables regularly consumed. So is the solution to peel all your food? Does the designation Organic Agriculture (AB) allow us to avoid pesticides?

What is the right alternative to protect yourself from pesticides present on fruits and vegetables?

The production of organic fruits and vegetables is unfortunately not exempt from chemicals, they simply contain fewer than others. According to the National Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health Safety, one in ten organic foods contains pesticide residues, compared to one in two for the others. When choosing, it is always preferable to favor products from organic farming, without forgetting to always wash them well.

Other solutions make it possible to protect yourself from herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, rodenticides or even nitrates while retaining a good part of the nutrients of fresh fruits and vegetables. If you decide to peel them, you can do it with a sparing knife, allowing you to obtain fine peelings. It will thus preserve many minerals and vitamins contained as close as possible to the skin. For certain plants such as zucchini, eggplant or cucumbers, you can, after washing them well, keep only part of the skin. Finally, early vegetables with thick skins such as potatoes, carrots, leeks and turnips can be brushed or scraped with an abrasive sponge before consumption. Enough to benefit from all their benefits while eliminating pesticide residues!