Jaws dropped and one co-worker called it “fetish eating”, as ABC Radio AdelaideBreakfast presenter Ali Clarke bit into an unpeeled kiwi fruit.
Clarke quite proudly claimed it was healthier for you and said the more bitter the better.
And according to nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, she is right.
“It’s fine as long as it is clean,” Dr Stanton said.
“As long as somebody with dirty hands wasn’t handling it before you, there is really no problem.”
Dr Stanton said the kiwi fruit skin would provide extra fibre, and modern versions of the fruit had even been bred to have less prickly fur.
“The kiwi fruit people developed their cultivars so that people wouldn’t have to peel them because it is such a nuisance.”
PHOTO: Apparently it is better for you to eat kiwi fruit with the skin on. (ABC Radio Adelaide: Brett Williamson)So what other fruit and veg is better skin-on?
Dr Stanton said potatoes were much better with the skin left on.
“The main aim of the potato skin is to hold the vitamin C and some of the other vitamins in while you cook them,” she said.
Roasted pumpkin with the skin on was also good for you.
“If you are eating the skins you are getting extra fibre,” Dr Stanton said.
“You just need to make sure the skin was clean so that you are not getting extra bugs.”
What about bananas?
ABC Radio Adelaide listener Seb offered his unpeeled favourite — bananas with the skin on.
In particular, Seb said he liked the bananas soft and when the skin had blackened.
“Banana skins contain a substance that is actually quite bitter,” Dr Stanton said.
“You are probably going to get a furry feeling in your mouth.”
Dr Stanton said if the bananas had been sprayed, the skins could contain residue and therefore she wouldn’t recommend eating them.
[“Source-abc.net.au”]