Peeling fruits and cucumbers

[Maleko]

Do I need to peel organic fruits like apples and cucumbers before juicing them, since the skins are mostly ejected by the juicer? Also, what about throwing in a little ginger root?

[nick]

If it isn't too much of a hassle, then maybe it would be better to peel them. I know I would. Is it a juicer, like for oranges, or is it a food processor type o' thing?

[CurlyGirl]

Maleko, the skins of organic fruit generally don't need to be peeled, since the fruits are grown without pesticides anyway, if that is your concern.

About the ginger root, I know that some people (like RRM), who are incredibly susceptible to acne, cannot even tolerate ginger because it leads to water retention in the skin. So, perhaps you could treat is as a munchfood and see how your skin reacts to it? I personally like ginger in my juices because it has a warming effect on my body and I always used to drink fresh ginger tea whenever I had digestive troubles (no longer a problem on Wai's diet!!).

[RRM]

A word of caution; what exactly is organic food, depends on the different standards of individual countries, or even states. Unfortunately, there is no worldwide accepted and controlled standard. It is up to countries, or even 'upon regulation of food distributors' to determine what is organic; what level of pesticides / herbicides used / present in the skin/peel is tolerated (within the margins of the standard).

It is individually different what 'feels best'. Personally I prefer most fruits without their skin; just because its lighter for digestion.
So, just listen to your body and it will tell you whether it likes the skin / peel, or not.

[CurlyGirl]

Yes, unfortunately, RRM is right, there is no universal standard for organic produce, though for those of us in the UK, I believe the Soil Association's certified standards are strictly monitored. (But then again, who can trust anyone these days, in a world of Public Relations and spin doctors and corruption, etc?!)

I personally try to choose fruit that must be peeled before it is consumed anyway, like papaya, banana, orange, pineapple, persimmon, kiwi, satsuma, etc. That way, any dilemma I have about 'to peel or not to peel' is solved automatically!

[Maleko]

I agree, I dont trust the supposed certification standards. My organic cucumbers for example come from mexico, and I really find it hard to believe they are flying an inspector down there, or hiring a top quality lab to certify my cucumber. Also, I just read an article stating that we expose our selves to 1000 times more natural pesticides than man made ones, I am sure most of that is in the skin. I peel most everything now.