Grapefruit (with skin), kiwi and banana fruit salad

You probably experienced this before: a subject becomes of interest to you. For example, you want to buy a new car. So when you go somewhere, you look at cars near you, in parking spots, at dealerships, and so on. Or when you hear about something interesting about science, like nutritional facts. You start thinking about these facts every time you eat something related to it. This is the story behind this grapefruit (with skin), kiwi and banana fruit salad recipe. I also used this recipe as a breakfast in a fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) cycle.

Citrus skin contains naringin and hesperidin

Whole and fresh fruits, unlike refined juices, contain nutrients that the latter do not. That’s why it’s not biologically the same to eat a whole orange, and drinking a glass of orange juice coming from a store bottle. One of the major differences is the fiber, present in fruits, vegetables and other wholesome ingredients. Fiber helps regulate and slow the absorption of glucose into the bloodstream, which is important. The other day I watched an episode of Medical Frontiers by Erica Angyal, and scientists reported the anti inflammatory properties of naringin, present in grapefruit and kabosu (Asian citrus), especially in the fiber and skin of the fruit.

Then yesterday in another episode on the topic of keeping good vision, researchers mentioned hesperidin as a helpful nutrient to prevent the onset of glaucoma and other vision-related disorders. It turns out that hesperidin is present in the juice, and particularly the skin of citrus fruits. So I connected the dots with fiber, naringin, and hesperidin, and decided to make a small change to today’s fruit salad. I left part of the skin on the grapefruit while cutting/peeling it.

New flavors for your fruit salads

This introduces new flavors and sensory experiences: you are no longer chewing on soft pulp and sweet juice from the grapefruit, now adding the slight bitterness and fiber from the citrus skin. I made my 13-year old kid taste a bite. He usually eats fruit salads with me. He said it was OK, and that he could eat it if I were to leave some skin on the fruit by mistake, but he wasn’t used to so much skin. It will probably be the case for other kids, but if you are an adult, I think the taste is refreshing. It feels good! For many dishes, consider peeling the citrus thin, leaving some of the white skin in your dish, and the promising nutrients with it.