Food Scrapes and Their Health Benefits

Who knew that food scrapes have some significant health benefits?

I have to admit; I used to throw our swiss chard stems, and broccoli leaves to our two healthy, robust, and extremely social chickens or our compost.

However, after a little research, I’m now thinking differently.

Here is what I discovered:

Broccoli Leaves

My kids only eat broccoli florets, but I discovered that they produce 3 percent of the daily vitamin A needs compared to the leaves, which provide a whopping 90 percent. But who wants to eat the leaves? And even if you do want to, how do you cook them up?

The eating deal: Treat them like any other leafy green veggie. Eat them raw mixed in a salad, saute them with garlic and olive oil.

Onion Skins

This one surprised me; the skin contains more antioxidants than the onion itself. And to add to that surprise, it’s quite simple to add them to your diet.

The eating deal: Throw the skins in your brewing pots of soups and then discard them before eating ( just like a bay leaf).

Lemon and Orange Peels

Lemon and orange skins are boosting with antioxidants, phytonutrients like flavonoids and fiber. However, a little tough to eat.

The eating deal: If you have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate them and add the skins to soups and make teas with them. Or, grate the peels and sprinkle into salads, baked goods, or roasted vegetables. If you do not have a dehydrator, you can bake on low heat in the oven for 4 to 8 hours.

Celery Tops

If you have a garden or would like to start one, celery is a simple one. Place the bottom part of your celery (cut off the tops) in water, and soon enough, new celery shoots will grow along with roots. An added celery bonus, celery leaves have much more magnesium and calcium than the actual stalks! They also have the right amount of vitamin c.

The eating deal: I use them along with using the stalks: add to salads, soups, as a garnish, and even in dips.

xx

dr. heather

PS If you want to learn more, journey over here.