The Healthiest Part of the Orange Might Be the Part You're Throwing Away, According to Science

In This ArticleView AllIn This ArticleWhat Did the Study Find?Is It Safe to Eat Orange Peel?What Does This Mean in Real Life?

In This ArticleView All

View All

In This Article

What Did the Study Find?

Is It Safe to Eat Orange Peel?

What Does This Mean in Real Life?

Photo:Getty Images. EatingWell animation.

Getty Images. EatingWell animation.

If you’ve been hanging out withEatingWelllong enough, you know how importantgut healthis to us—and we hope it’s equally as important to you, too. Harboring trillions of microorganisms, your gut performs a delicate balancing act, helping your digestion and overall health with its fluctuating ratio ofgood and bad bacteria. That balance influences both your immediate and long-term health.

Your Gut Health Affects Almost Every System in Your Body—Are You Doing Enough to Care for It?

There are many factors that can tip the scales in favor of the beneficial microorganisms—or toward the harmful ones. For example,not getting enough exercisecan negatively affect gut health, in part because a lack of physical activity has been shown to cause dysbiosis—an imbalance between beneficial and harmful gut bacteria.

Stress and gut health have a bidirectional relationship. When you’re stressed out, it affects gut health. It also works in reverse. Poor gut health can increase feelings ofstress, anxiety and depression.

And of course, what you eat also influences gut health. For example, certain ultra-processed foods that are high in trans and saturated fats, sugar, sodium and artificial additives can wreak havoc onyour gut’s microbiome. But fermented foods, like yogurt, kefir and kimchi, place probiotics—helpful bacteria—into your gut. And since bacteria are living organisms, they need to be nourished to flourish. That’s where prebiotics come in.

The 8 Best Prebiotic Foods for Better Gut Health, According to Dietitians

Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds and legumes are all prebiotic foods. When you can eat the skin of your produce, it ups the prebiotic and nutrient content. But some produce often get peeled and the peels get tossed, creating what may be unnecessary food waste. For example, did you know you can eatbanana peel? Same for Kiwi skin. And of coursepotato skins—but alsosweet potato skins.

But there’s another fruit skin you might not think much about until you need some orange zest for yourbaked oatmealor spread some orange marmalade on your toast—the orange peel.

Researchers in Nigeria took a closer look at previous studies done on orange peels and their chemical makeup, as well as their effect on human health, and published their findings in December 2024 inHuman Nutrition & Metabolism.Here’s what they found.

Oranges are a popular fruit, and orange juice is pretty popular, too. But whether you eat the orange flesh or drink the juice, the peel usually gets tossed. This creates a heap of food waste that could actually be eaten. Plus, you’re not just tossing away a snack—you’re tossing out a nutrition powerhouse.

Study authors point out that orange peel is rich in dietary fiber and polyphenols. In particular, they contain lots ofpectin, a type of soluble fiberthat absorbs water in the digestive tract and makes it easier to poop. Soluble fiber also slows digestion, helping to stabilize blood sugar. In addition, this type of fiber binds to cholesterol, sweeping it out of the body, and may even lower blood pressure.

And there’s more. Researchers say there is evidence that orange peel benefits the gut microbiome in several ways:

Of course, some may worry about potential pesticides on the orange peel. Oranges didn’t make the Environmental Working Group’sDirty Dozen list, which highlights produce that tends to have the highest amounts of pesticides—but they didn’t make the organization’sClean 15 listeither. Should we be concerned about pesticides in the orange peel?

Several studies suggest there’s a high probability that various types of oranges and other citrus fruits have a number of different pesticide residues on them.One study found that multiple residues were detected in 83% of 76 analyzed citrus fruit samples. In addition, 28% contained pesticides at or above maximum residue levels.Another study that tested mandarin oranges found that only 8.4% of the samples detected no quantifiable residues, whereas 207 samples contained at least one residue. And 22.1% of the samples exceeded the allowable maximum residue level.

If you’re worried about pesticide exposure, you can purchase organic oranges, as organic farmers cannot use synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. With that said, organic farmers can use natural pesticides, which means you’ll still want to wash the outside of your produce. This is important because all produce, no matter how it was grown, can be introduced to harmful bacteria, includingSalmonella, ListeriaandE. coli, both while it’s growing and after harvest.

Is Organic Food Healthier Than Conventional? Here’s What a Dietitian Has to Say

Wash your hands before you wash your oranges to avoid cross-contamination. It’s then recommended that you rinse and scrub the orangesunder cold running water. Avoid soaking them and using any sort of detergent. Soaking the oranges can reintroduce them to bacteria and pesticides. Detergent might not completely rinse off and could also enter the fruit—and who knows how that might affect your health in the long run.

Including orange peel in cooking isn’t a new thing. We use orange zest—which is part of the orange peel—in several of our recipes, includingSeared Scallops with Citrus-Ginger Quinoa, ourCarrot Smoothieand this classicMustard-Maple Pork Roast. You can use spirals of orange peel or orange slices with the skin on to garnish your favorite beverage. Orange marmalade contains orange peel and you can buy or make candied orange peels for a dessert garnish.

If you aren’t totally convinced to start munching on big pieces of orange peel right away, you can at least start saving your zest for later. Alex Loh,EatingWell’s associate food editor, says that you can zest your oranges directly into a freezer bag and store the zest in the freezer until you’re ready to add it to a cake, cocktail, dip or even as a garnish on side dish, likethese glazed carrots.

The Bottom Line

All types of oranges are excellent sources of vitamin C, fiber and a wide range of antioxidants. This includes the flesh of the orange,its juiceand its peel. Scientists suggest eating the orange peel for its prebiotic and polyphenol properties, which benefit the gut microbiome. If you’re going to include orange peel in your recipes more often, consider using organic oranges and giving them a thorough cleaning before zesting or slicing the peel.

Does Eating an Entire Orange—Peel and All—Really Help You Instantly Poop? Here’s What a Dietitian Has to Say

Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!Tell us why!OtherSubmit

Was this page helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Tell us why!OtherSubmit

Tell us why!

SourcesEatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Ademosun A, Ajeigbe O, Ademosun M, et al.Improving gut microbiome through diet rich in dietary fibre and polyphenols: the case for orange peels.Human Nutrition & Metabolism. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.hnm.2024.200295Radulovic J, Lucic M, Nesic A, et al.Multivariate assessment and risk ranking of pesticide residues in citrus fruits.Foods. 2023. doi:10.3390/foods12132454Gormez E, Golge O, Gonzalez-Curbelo M, et al.Pesticide residues in mandarins: three-year monitoring results.Molecules. 2023. doi:10.3390/molecules28145611Omeroglu P, Celik B, Alibasoglu E.The effect of household food processing on pesticide residues in oranges(Citrus sinensis).Foods. 2022. doi:10.3390/foods11233918

Sources

EatingWell uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable and trustworthy.Ademosun A, Ajeigbe O, Ademosun M, et al.Improving gut microbiome through diet rich in dietary fibre and polyphenols: the case for orange peels.Human Nutrition & Metabolism. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.hnm.2024.200295Radulovic J, Lucic M, Nesic A, et al.Multivariate assessment and risk ranking of pesticide residues in citrus fruits.Foods. 2023. doi:10.3390/foods12132454Gormez E, Golge O, Gonzalez-Curbelo M, et al.Pesticide residues in mandarins: three-year monitoring results.Molecules. 2023. doi:10.3390/molecules28145611Omeroglu P, Celik B, Alibasoglu E.The effect of household food processing on pesticide residues in oranges(Citrus sinensis).Foods. 2022. doi:10.3390/foods11233918

Ademosun A, Ajeigbe O, Ademosun M, et al.Improving gut microbiome through diet rich in dietary fibre and polyphenols: the case for orange peels.Human Nutrition & Metabolism. 2024. doi:10.1016/j.hnm.2024.200295Radulovic J, Lucic M, Nesic A, et al.Multivariate assessment and risk ranking of pesticide residues in citrus fruits.Foods. 2023. doi:10.3390/foods12132454Gormez E, Golge O, Gonzalez-Curbelo M, et al.Pesticide residues in mandarins: three-year monitoring results.Molecules. 2023. doi:10.3390/molecules28145611Omeroglu P, Celik B, Alibasoglu E.The effect of household food processing on pesticide residues in oranges(Citrus sinensis).Foods. 2022. doi:10.3390/foods11233918

Radulovic J, Lucic M, Nesic A, et al.Multivariate assessment and risk ranking of pesticide residues in citrus fruits.Foods. 2023. doi:10.3390/foods12132454

Gormez E, Golge O, Gonzalez-Curbelo M, et al.Pesticide residues in mandarins: three-year monitoring results.Molecules. 2023. doi:10.3390/molecules28145611

Omeroglu P, Celik B, Alibasoglu E.The effect of household food processing on pesticide residues in oranges(Citrus sinensis).Foods. 2022. doi:10.3390/foods11233918

The Bottom Line#

The Bottom Line