Should You Eat the Skin of a Kiwi?

Perri Ormont Blumberg
·1 min read
Kiwi Fruit
Kiwi Fruit

Marc Espolet Copyright/Getty Images

Mealtime presents lots of strange-but-intriguing questions: What are those strings on bananas (and should you eat them)? Why does cilatnro taste like soap to some people? Can you eat that white stuff oozing out of your salmon filet?

Here's one more we're adding to our list: Can you eat the skin off of a kiwifruit? A recent article on Women's Health website reveals the answer — and we do admit we're a tad surprised. Not only is it safe to do so according to nutritionist Maggie Moon, RD, author of The MIND Diet, but it's actually good for you. "Eating a kiwi, peel and all, ups the fiber by 50 percent," explains Moon.

Fiber plays a key role in staving off hunger as it keep you fuller for longer and helps prevent your blood sugar levels from spiking. Eating the kiwi skin also gives you folate, which Moon says is an important nutrient that may help reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and heart disease.

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Of course, some kiwis are sprayed with pesticides, so it's probably best to eat the skin only if you are buying an organic kiwi and wash it thoroughly before consuming. To enjoy the kiwi with the skin, Moon suggests tossing the whole fruit into a smoothie or dicing it into small pieces and marinating the pieces in salad dressing before adding them to a salad (this will help make the skin feel less hairy).

As for those mysterious strings coming out of bananas? Yes, you can eat them, but skip the peel-eating on this fruit, folks.