10 Fruit & Vegetable "Scraps" That Are Actually Super Healthy

Billions of pounds of food are thrown away each year in the U.S., and a whopping 30 to 40% of this country's food supply1 ends up in the garbage. There are many ways to reduce your food waste at home. Utilizing more odds and ends of the produce you buy is one of them—and it could up your nutrition to boot. 

The darker, tougher outer leaves of the cabbage have the highest concentrations of vitamin A, which supports vision, immune health, and fertility. The outer green leaves are also richer in chlorophyll2, which has tons of antioxidant properties.

Potato skin is rich in lipoic acid, an antioxidant that can support healthy blood sugar levels3. Potato skins also contain 10 mg of vitamin A per 100 g4, whereas the flesh has none. It's also seven times higher in calcium, 20 times higher in iron, and twice as rich in vitamins B3 and B6 than the flesh inside. 

A study out of Korea in 2010 found that pumpkin skin had antifungal properties5, making them a healthy diet addition to shield against issues like candida overgrowth and yeast infections.

Broccoli leaves and stems are high in folate and calcium and contain five times the amount of vitamin A as the florets. They are also a rich source of indole-3-carbinol, a powerful phytochemical with anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties6.

I love kiwi fruit for its gut-healthy prebiotic properties (research shows that it could promote the growth of healthy lactobacillus and bifidobacterium species7 in the gut), and the skins contain three times the antioxidants of the fruit inside.

Bromelain, a natural enzyme found in the pineapple core, has a wide range of health benefits—from helping lower the risk of cardiovascular disease to supporting the immune system8. 

The often-discarded leaves of beets are high in nitrates, which get converted to nitric oxide9—a compound that helps to lower blood pressure and increase oxygenation and blood flow in the body. The sweet, earthy leaves are also an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium B vitamins, and chlorophyll. 

Citrus skins (think oranges, mandarins, grapefruits, limes, and lemons) are rich in antioxidants and have high amounts of vitamin C, potassium, calcium, and magnesium. Limonene, which is found in the skin of citrus fruits, has been shown to exhibit anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral effects10.

Banana peels contain high levels of iron, calcium, and magnesium and are a rich source of tryptophan—an amino acid that helps your body produce the feel-good hormone serotonin11. They're also rich in antioxidants including lutein, which is good for eye health12. (Psst...they're great for your skin, too.)

You don't need to remove carrot peels—the skin has a high concentration of nutrients. In fact, unpeeled carrots contain 42% more carotenoids13—antioxidants that are great for your immune system and eyesight—than peeled ones. Unpeeled carrots also contain seven times more phenolic acids, antioxidant compounds that help to scavenge free radicals in the body.