Is it safe/healthy to eat the "whole" of fruits and veggies?

[sheryl]

Is it safe to eat the stem, seeds, skin, pith, pulp of every and all fruits and veggies?

 

Since I'm planning on buying a Vitamix in a few days I reviewed a previously-recorded broadcast on QVC and Jan (sp?), the Vitamix man, made that statement above (he did not say stem) - everything else mentioned above he said we can consume.

 

Is this correct? 

[hornblower]

I think this is not true. Seeds of many fruits contain poisonous substances. Usually they do us no harm because things like apple seeds just go through us unchewed & unabsorbed. But if you vitamix them, they would be ground up & potentially more bioavailable. 

There are other examples, such as rhubarb leaves which are poisonous.

I have a vitamix and have lots of green smoothies but I prepare all my fruits and veg just like before. 

[Ravin]

there are probably some parts of some plants that we customarily don't eat even though we could, but often it's because they require more preparation to eat safely. Avocado pits come to mind. Some have to be cooked to be edible (true yams, acorns), some just taste better that way (brussels sprouts) and some it's often better to err on the side of cooking for food safety (bean sprouts).

 

Since I learned the thing about apple seeds from a G.I. Joe cartoon in the 80's, I have no idea if it's true or not. But banana peels probably don't taste very good.

 

Some things you could probably throw in whole, like seedless citrus fruit, grapes, pears, plums, nectarines, peaches, or apples. Some that's probably a bad idea, like kiwi fruit and bananas.

[Pegasus]

PSA: mango skin contains urushiol, the irritating compound found in poison ivy and poison oak.

[JFSinIL]

I believe the seeds of some plants, in particular if you grind them up, may be if not toxic then at least not good to ingest. I am looking at you, apple and cherry seed/pits.  http://www.bonappetit.com/test-kitchen/ingredients/slideshow/foods-that-can-kill-you

[zoobie]

Peaches, plums, nectarines, apricots--those have pits that won't be good to grind up either.

[Tanaqui]

Apple seeds do have cyanide, people who mentioned it, but in such small amounts that even if you ground them up you'd have to eat literally pounds of seeds to do yourself any harm. However, the same isn't true for everything you can blend in a Vitamix.

[MamaBearTeacher]

I often eat apple stems. I like them for some reason. Is that weird? I don't like the seeds or the shells arounds the seeds though. My son eats whole lemons and we sometimes have whole lemons in smoothies. I think citrus seeds might have anti microbial properties. Most fruit seeds are bitter and will impact negatively on the taste of your smoothie though it would save you time not to have to chop it all. Maybe the Vitamix man was trying to emphasize that the machine is strong?

[Melissa in Australia]

I personally know someone who got arsenic poisoning. Turned out it was from eating apricot seeds.

 

 

 

I have heard that it talks as little as one tablespoon of ground up apple seeds to kill a person. ( not sure if this is true or not).

[MamaBearTeacher]

I personally know someone who got arsenic poisoning. Turned out it was from eating apricot seeds.

 

ot).

What happened to them?

[sheryl]

I'm going to continue to research this.  The Vitamix man on qvc said that people are missing out on tons of nutrients found in the seeds, skin, etc.

 

I've known about apple seeds for some time but like a pp mentioned maybe there is a safe level.   Tuesday I'm going to see my nutritionist and I need to check around in the medical community.  I know of a nurse (same riding stable) and perhaps I'll ask her. 

 

There has to be a more definitive answer.    Thanks!

[ktgrok]

This says it would take the seeds of 20 apples to kill you. But, when you think of it, if you are juicing you might be eating an apple a day, and that would add up. It also says low doses are dangerous, if not lethal. http://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/are-apple-seeds-poisonous#AppleSeedOil4

[Peach]

Mango skin can cause reactions due to the urushiol as mentioned above. My youngest gets immediate mouth and lip blisters from it.

[sheryl]

anyone else care to chime in?  

[kubiac]

We definitely leave a lot of edible food on the table when we trim vegetables. You can eat chard ribs and cauliflower leaves and carrot tops and beet tops and so forth.

 

I do freeze strawberry tops for use in smoothies.

 

That said, I'm not going to burn up my Magic Bullet motor trying to grind up eggplant stems or corn husks or pineapple skin. Use your best judgment.

 

 

[Tanaqui]

We definitely leave a lot of edible food on the table when we trim vegetables. You can eat chard ribs and cauliflower leaves and carrot tops and beet tops and so forth.

 

You can substitute chard ribs for celery, cauliflower leaves for cabbage, carrot tops for parsley, and beet tops for spinach or chard in most recipes, btw. Pro tip: If your farmer's market or supermarket routinely chops these off, ask if you can take them off their hands. Our supermarket charges me 10 cents a pound to haul away this stuff, and my farmer's market hands it off to me for free.

[Paige]

Why would you want to eat a banana, kiwi, or orange skin or peach and cherry pits in a smoothie anyway? Wouldn't that be gross? I think even if the taste wasn't so bad the texture would be nauseating.