Surprisingly Nutrient Foods We Throw Away!
Whether it be habit, tradition, myth or lack of knowledge, we sometimes waste the most nutrient-dense part of vegetables and fruits because we are unaware they are edible. The more parts of fruits and vegetables that we eat, the less food waste, the healthier we eat and the more savings in our pocketbook!
It is much better to buy organic and local if you are going to eat skins, tops, stalks, rinds and seeds. Always wash well. Some of the most concentrated forms of pesticides can reside in skins, tops, and rinds of conventional veggies. Some skins, even if organic, may contain oils, waxes or other finishes to protect the fruit or vegetable.
1. Carrot greens (the green top of the carrot that we usually cut off and throw away)
Freshly grown carrots sold in bunches still have their green bushy tops on which are rich in protein, minerals, vitaminsand fibre. Carrot greens can be chopped up and used like parsley sprinkled on your potatoes, veggies, soup or stew, or added to salads and coleslaw. Carrot tops contain 6 times the vitamin C of their root.
Packed with potassium, chlorophyll, calcium, magnesium, and vitamin K, carrot top greens help to lower blood pressure, prevent heart disease, regulate blood sugar, and support strong bones.
Use the freshest ones you can find for best flavor. Because these greens have a slightly bitter taste and firm texture, they work best in smaller amounts.
Carrot Top Recipes from www.organicauthority.com
1. Carrot Top Pesto Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Carrot tops from three pounds of carrots
1 garlic clove
3 tablespoons pine nuts
½ cup (packed) fresh basil leaves
¼ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
In a food processor, pulse the garlic and pine nuts until a coarse paste forms. Add in basil, carrot tops, and parmesan. Pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse purée. Add in the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Pulse until combined. Enjoy the pesto with pasta, in a sandwich, or as a dip.
2. Warm Carrot Top Salad Serves 4
Ingredients Directions
1 teaspoon olive oil In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and cumin.
1 teaspoon ground cumin Stir and let cook for one minute to release the cumin’s aromas.
1 medium onion, minced Add the onion and sauté for a few minutes, or until the onions begin to
1 clove garlic, minced turn translucent. Add in the garlic and chickpeas and stir while cooking.
2 cups cooked chickpeas After two to three minutes, remove the saucepan from the heat and fold
1 cup chopped carrot greens in the carrot greens, lemon, and salt and pepper. Serve and enjoy.
Juice of one lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
3. Carrot Top Green Juice Serves 1
Ingredients Directions
4 carrots (with green tops) Push the all the ingredients through the juicer chute in the order listed.
1 apple Enjoy as your morning green juices, thanks to the carrot greens!
1 cucumber
2. Radish Tops
Fresh radish tops are delicious! They have a characteristic, sharp, peppery flavor very similar to arugula. Radish tops’ high potassium content helps to balance out sodium and has positive effects on blood pressure, as well as preventing excessive water retention. Radish greens are a great source of plant-based iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, phosphorus and thiamine, and help prevent anemia, as well as boosting your immune system. Radish greens also contain antimicrobial and antibacterial properties, making them beneficial in helping to prevent digestive upset from pathogens that cause food poisoning. In addition, their powerful phytonutrients help to prevent cancer, and have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving benefits.
How to Eat:
These are delicious just chopped up and eaten raw in a salad, mixed in with some other greens.
Stir fry some in with turnip leaves, chard, or spinach or add to a green smoothie along with kale, dandelion and spinach.
Combine spinach, radish tops, baby arugula, a touch of baby kale, baby greens, fresh picked tomato and any other veggies you’d like to add to make a salad. Make a dressing with a tablespoon or so of olive or avocado oil, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, and a touch of honey or maple syrup and drizzle it onto the salad.
3. Mango Skins
There are hundreds of varieties of mangoes around the world. Mangoes and their skin supply massive amounts of vitamins C, A, E, K and B6 along with minerals like copper and manganese. They also contain some major players on the antioxidant team including mangiferin, norathyriol, reservatrol, and quercetin. These guys fight aging and free radical damage that causes disease and damage to our DNA. These antioxidants are pain-relieving, antidiabetic, cardio, liver, and neuro-protective, as well as being powerful anti-inflammatory agents. Reservatrol is heart-healthy, and quercetin contains not only anti-inflammatory benefits, but also helps allergies. Manigiferin contains compounds that help fight diabetes.
Research at the University of Queensland School of Pharmacy discovered that mango peel extract can actually prevent fat cell formation. Two particular varieties of mango – Nam Doc Mai and Irwin were the most effective at doing so.
Beware if you are sensitive to mangoes, poison ivy or poison oak.
Mango skin contains an ingredient called urushiol, similar to a substance in poison ivy. Although the majority of urushiol is found in the vines, sap and stems of mangoes, there is still a fair amount in the skin of the mangoes. Mangoes can cause allergic reactions, often caused by coming into contact with the skin of the mango.
TEST YOURSELF BY HOLDING A MANGO. If you notice any itching or rashes, don’t eat it!
It’s best to eat small bits of mango peel at a time at first to see if your body reacts to it.
How to Eat:
Eat a mango with the skin on, as if you were eating an apple. Add a whole mango, skin and all to your smoothies. Just be sure to remove the pit first! Try adding mango zest from the skin into desserts, salads, smoothies, cereal or soup.
4. Avocado Pits
Avocado seeds are a concentrated source of nutrients, fiber, and tons of antioxidants. While the California Avocado Growers Association does not recommend eating the avocado pits, they have been eaten safely, and used medicinally for hundreds of years. In South America and Africa, they are often used as a treatment for both for constipation and diarrhea, arthritis, diabetes, skin problems, and more. Avocado seeds contain a large amount of antioxidants, including flavonol, known for its cancer-fighting and immune strengthening abilities. In 2013 a study was published in Pharmaceutical Biology showing avocado extract from the seed, and flesh of the avocado caused leukemia cells to die.
Avocados and their seeds are also full of heart-healthy monounsaturated fat, and can lower cholesterol and prevent heart attacks and strokes. Avocado seeds also include the natural phytochemicals–procyanidins and catechins. Their anti-inflammatory properties help arthritis and other inflammatory diseases. Pits do contain some minor substances which can be toxic in large quantities. A teaspoon at a time is fine.
How to Eat:
Separate pits from avocado. They can be roasted in the oven or eaten raw. Cut in half and use a meat mallet to crush. Pits can also be blended into a powder in your food processer if desired. 1 or 2 teaspoons of the powder can be added to smoothies or you can make a tea using chunks of the seed in an infuser. It’s bitter so add some honey or maple syrup and sip.
5. Orange, Grapefruit, Lemon and Lime Peels and Membrane
When peeling an orange or grapefruit, most people pick off white stuff stuck to the fruit, thinking it’s not to be eaten. Citrus is loaded with vitamin C, but the white stuff—the part inside the peel—called the pericarp, contains some of the most powerful nutrients in an orange, grapefruit, lemon or lime. The white part of the inside of the peel actually also contains the highest concentration of vitamin C.
One of these substances inside the peel is a flavonoid called naringenin, which occurs in all citrus fruits. Studies have shown that naringenin and other citrus flavonoids repair DNA damage from free radicals that leads to cancer, and other research has shown that this phytonutrient can stimulate the liver to burn off excess fat and restore obese mice to a normal weight.
The pith, or the white stringy part that sticks to the citrus flesh, actually helps lower cholesterol, reduce blood pressure and reduce inflammation. So we can eat the white stuff too! Pith and peels also contain pectin, which is a type of healthy fibre. Although the flavonoids are abundant within the fruit itself, the highest concentration is in the outer peel. Citrus peels contain d-limonene, which actually fights some of the more serious types of skin cancer, especially squamous cell skin cancer, according to research from Arizona Cancer Center. Citrus peels, especially orange and tangerines, also contain tangeretin and nobiletin, powerful flavonoids that are cancer-fighting, diabetes-fighting, and anti-inflammatory.
How to Eat:
Leave plenty of the ‘white stuff’ on the orange, grapefruit or other citrus when peeling it. Grate and use orange, lemon and lime zest on everything—smoothies, meat, fish, salads, main courses, even desserts.
6. Watermelon Rind and Watermelon Seeds
Save the seeds, roast them and eat them! Watermelon seeds contain a lot of protein and have a delicious taste and texture much like pumpkin seeds. Watermelon seeds have twice the protein of almonds and are one of the highest protein seeds you can eat. They are high in B vitamins which are essential to convert food into energy and help maintain brain and mental health, as well as the nervous system. Niacin, especially important for the nervous system, digestive system and skin health, is the most prevalent B vitamin in watermelon seeds. Folate, thiamine, riboflavin, vitamin B6 and pantothenic acid are also found in watermelon seeds as well as magnesium, phosphorous, iron, potassium, sodium, copper, manganese and zinc, and even healthy omega 3 and omega 6 fats.
How to Eat:
Remove the outer tough skin from the rind and throw chunks of the white part into the blender as an additive for smoothies. Watermelon seeds should be dried, roasted and ideally, sprouted. Thoroughly rinse and dry your watermelon seeds. Put them on a roasting pan. You can then add a small drizzle of vegetable oil or olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and toss the seeds to fully coat them. Roast at 375°F for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle them on yogurt, salads and soups or eat from your hand. Here is a delicious recipe from www.food52.com
Pickled Watermelon Rind Makes 4 quarts
Ingredients
12 cups watermelon rinds prepared as in step 1 below
3 cups granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup white vinegar
4 tablespoons mixed pickling spice
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
12 whole cloves
8 thin slices of fresh ginger cut into strips about 2-inches long by 1-inch wide
3 cinnamon sticks, broken into 1-inch pieces
2 teaspoons whole allspice
Directions
1. Wash and cut away all red and green parts of the rinds. Cut into cubes 1-inch by 1-inch pieces or with a cute flower mini cutter.
2. Place cut rind pieces in a large stock pot filled with enough water to cover rinds and cook over high heat until boiling. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook until rinds are fork tender - about 20 minutes. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
3. While the rinds cook, in a medium large sauce pan, add in all the other ingredients and simmer over medium heat for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and allow the pickling broth to slightly cool.
4. Place the cooked rinds in a large container that comes with tight filling lid. Pour the pickling broth over to completely cover and allow to completely cool. Place in the refrigerator and use as wanted. This will keep well for 3-4 months.
7. Broccoli Stalks
Protect cells from DNA damage Take antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial action
Detox the body Act as a powerful anti-inflammatory
Kill cancer cells Inhibit cancer cell growth and spread
How to Eat:
The stalks—even the thick ones, can be peeled and chopped in small pieces and cooked along with the broccoli, or slivered and added to coleslaws and stir fries or just sliced up to nibble raw or for dipping. You can also make broccoli noodles and stir fry them into dishes. This stir fry from www.onegreenplant.org is delicious!
Broccoli Salad with Quinoa, Scallions and Roasted Cashews Serves 2
Ingredients:
1 cup roasted cashews
1 small head broccoli
3 small scallions, green and white parts (or 2 big ones)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
1. Cook the quinoa (about 1 cup raw quinoa makes 2 cups cooked, save the rest for another recipe.)
2. Roast the cashews in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes, checking to make sure they don’t burn.
3. Slice through the broccoli like you are cutting a head of cabbage, as thinly as you can. Then cut off the longest stems and chop through it to make sure the pieces are small. Steam until bright green, about 1 minute. Drain and run under cold water immediately to stop the cooking.
4. Thinly slice the scallions and set aside.
5. Whisk the oil and lemon juice into the bottom of a mixing bowl. Drop in the quinoa, cashews, broccoli and scallions. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Other veggie peels and greens you can eat
There are many other veggies and fruits that you are probably throwing away as well. Make sure to use your veggies from root to stem. Avoid peeling veggies and just eat the peels if possible, especially root veggies like potatoes, carrots, beets and others. Peels contain some of the highest nutrition there is. Use the tops or greens in salads and stir fries. Beet greens and turnip greens are delicious lightly stir fried with a touch of butter and a squeeze of lemon—and don’t forget to add a little lemon zest too!
Try to choose organic, and wash well to get rid of any coatings or waxes that may be on the skin.
Mix it up!
All greens contain some alkaloids which could disagree with you if eaten every day in large amounts. So switch up your greens instead of eating the same ones every day.
Avoid food waste, protect your health and save money in the process!
Comments
Post a Comment