Taking a bite of a whole apple is a no-brainer—the skin is all shiny, colorful, and pretty! But a kiwi? That poop-brown, kinda hairy fruit? No, thanks.
Apparently, that’s exactly what you’re supposed to do though. “Yes, it is safe to eat the skin of kiwi,” says Maggie Moon, R.D., and author of The MIND Diet. But as with any other fruit or veggie, wash that sucker first.
Mind. Blown.
But…why would I want to eat kiwi skin in the first place?
It’s so…fuzzy. But the skin of a kiwi actually has a ton of nutrients. “Eating a kiwi, peel and all, ups the fiber by 50 percent,” says Moon compared to taking the peel off first. Damn. (And fiber, of course, keeps you full, can aid in weight loss efforts, and naturally lowers LDL cholesterol.)
That edible kiwi skin also provides some folate, an important nutrient that helps prevent certain birth defects and may reduce the risk of several kinds of cancer and heart disease, Moon adds. You’ll also get the antioxidant vitamin E, an immune-boosting inflammation fighter, Moon says, to keep you healthy and improve your skin.
How do I even eat this stuff without gagging?
Eat your kiwi whole like an apple—skin and all!—to enjoy those major nutritional benefits, Moon says. Your standard green kiwi skin has a fuzzy texture with a mild earthy flavor, she says.
If you want skin that’s less intense to eat, look for golden or yellow kiwi. These varieties have a smoother, thinner skin, Moon says, that are more pleasant to eat if you don’t want to feel like you’re just chowing down on straight-up hair. (Fun fact: Yellow kiwi have twice as much vitamin C as their green counterparts!)
If you want to ease into eating kiwi skin (I don’t blame you, tbh), toss the whole fruit into a blender as part of your morning smoothie. “Smoothies are a great equalizer for balancing challenging flavors and textures,” Moon says. “Add a full kiwifruit to your blender, along with half a cup of almond milk, half a cup of Greek yogurt, a pitted date, and a small ripe banana, and blend until smooth and creamy,” she says.
Another option: “Dice the kiwifruit so that there is less skin per bite, then marinate in salad dressing for 10 minutes or so before adding to a mixed salad,” Moon says.
Beyond the skin, you can also eat the core of the kiwi, Moon adds. “It’s the mildest, sweetest part of the fruit, and it would be a shame to miss out on it,” she says.
However you choose to eat kiwi skin, just know you have the green light to bite into that kiwi, fuzz and all.
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