[Kim Jaeho's Life Story]<209> The Shell is a Treasure

Grains, fruits, and vegetables have long held an important place on our tables, but their peels have not. People habitually discarded most of the peels of grains, fruits, and vegetables, just as they would throw away packaging boxes and only use the contents inside. This was partly because peels are often hard, rough, and less tasty or inedible, and also due to the preconceived notion that peels exist merely to protect the contents inside.

The peels of fruits, vegetables, and grains have escaped their neglected status as their hidden value has been revealed. Peels generally contain much richer nutrients than the flesh inside, including dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. In times when the value of peels was not well known, people mostly discarded the nutrient-rich peels and diligently ate only the nutritionally poorer flesh.

For example, an apple with its peel intact contains 332% more vitamin K, 142% more vitamin A, 115% more vitamin C, 20% more calcium, and 19% more potassium than its flesh alone. A boiled potato with its peel contains 175% more vitamin C, 115% more potassium, 111% more folate, and 110% more magnesium and sulfur than the flesh. Vegetable peels contain up to 31% more dietary fiber, and fruit peels have up to 328 times more antioxidants than the flesh.

The benefits of these nutrients abundant in the peels of fruits, vegetables, and grains are significant. Antioxidants prevent oxidative damage to cells caused by reactive oxygen species, thereby slowing cellular aging and preventing the onset of various diseases. Since antioxidants are diverse and widely distributed only in plant-based foods, not eating peels greatly increases the likelihood of deficiency (see Life Story episode 22).

Dietary fiber induces a feeling of fullness, preventing overeating and reducing the risk of obesity. It also absorbs cholesterol and triglycerides in the gastrointestinal tract, lowering the risk of heart disease. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced when gut bacteria break down dietary fiber help prevent various diseases such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and arteriosclerosis (see episode 21). Since dietary fiber is absent in animal-based foods, not eating peels often leads to deficiency.

As the fact that peels of fruits, vegetables, and grains contain abundant nutrients became known, the need arose to improve the practice of discarding peels and eating only the flesh for health reasons, advocating for eating whole foods (see episodes 203 and 207). However, the habit of eating whole foods has not yet been properly established for various reasons, and many people still rely on peeled flesh foods.

Although the value of whole fruits, whole vegetables, and whole grains has been sufficiently revealed, obstacles remain to making whole food eating a lifestyle. Many people still do not know the value of whole foods, and whole foods are often harder, rougher, and less tasty compared to the flesh. Some, like brown rice, are also more difficult to cook, so many people are reluctant to change their established habits.

Moreover, there is another factor that discourages eating peels. Pesticides such as insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides are commonly used during crop cultivation to increase yield and improve quality. Excessive exposure to these pesticides can lead to diseases such as cancer and neurodevelopmental disorders like Parkinson's disease. Some of these pesticides remain on the peels of fruits, vegetables, and grains, known as pesticide residues.

People hesitate to eat peels because they fear these pesticide residues may harm their health. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) set very low safe intake limits for pesticide residues to ensure that lifetime exposure through food does not harm health. In most cases, exposure to pesticide residues is known to be much lower than these safety limits.

Considering these very conservatively set safety limits and the benefits of the rich nutrients in peels, insisting on peeling foods out of fear of pesticide residues results in more loss than gain and is not a wise choice. Even if peeled, small amounts of pesticide residues remain in the flesh. However, reducing exposure to pesticide residues increases safety, so efforts to minimize them are necessary.

Whenever possible, it is best to consume organic produce that uses fewer pesticides, especially for pregnant women and children. If the produce is not organic, washing thoroughly under running water is recommended to reduce pesticide residues as much as possible. Using baking soda, saltwater, or vinegar is known to clean produce even better.

Kim Jae-ho, Independent Researcher

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.