Worthiness of some fruit skins

Mango skin-helps to fight some metabolic diseases like diabetes & some forms of cancer. Mango skin has some compounds, which modulate some receptors molecules called PPARs in our cells. These receptors help in controlling the levels of cholesterol & related fatty compounds in the blood stream on one hand & the levels of glucose on the other. These compounds are more abundant in the skin than in the pulp. One of the compounds is quercetin, an antioxidant that helps our cells from cellular over burn or oxidative damage. The other is mangiferin, which quarantines away excess free iron in the body & thus offers protection against iron caused oxidative damage. The 3^rd is a by-product of mangiferin called norathyriol, which too is an anti-oxidant. It is also likely that the mango skin has resveratrol, which lowers cholesterol levels. The skins of blue grapes are rich in resveratrol, which finds its way into red wine. Wines & juices from all dark colored berries are good source of resveratrol.

The pinkish skin of peanuts is another rich source of resveratrol.

But too much of mangoes are bad as glucose chemically combines with proteins & alters their properties & functions. This leads to impaired eyesight, neuromuscular functions, kidney damage & so on.

Apple skin is a good source of calcium & Vit. A,. the Vit. Content is reported to be 5 times higher in the skin than the flesh. The same goes for potatoes too. Pomegranate skin is rich in a variety of anti oxidants & cell protectants.

Pomegranate skin is used for treating diarrhoea- the skin is boiled with a small amount of cloves/cinnamon & the solution is drunk thrice daily for a few days.

Banana skin is used to treat rashes from shrubs such as poison ivy, by rubbing the skin inside out. It is also useful to treat bruises. Taping the banana skin around the bruise helps in healing.

It is not that the diabetes should avoid fruits, but choose those fruits not high in the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how fast carbohydrate foods are converted in the body into glucose. Apples, cherries, grape fruit & oranges with their low GI are good. Mangoes, papaya & banana are medium GI, so ok. But mangoes eat them in moderation with their skins !.