Can You Safely Eat Kiwi Skin?

Kiwis are one of those fruits we love to hate. Inside you'll find a juicy green fruit full of sweetness. Outside is a fuzzy layer of thin skin that seems almost impossible to peel off. Although there are a few tricks you can use to lessen the hassle of the peeling process, why not just eat kiwis with the skin on? It would definitely make life easier, but is it safe?

Just like an apple, you can actually eat the whole kiwi from the outside in. In fact, if you haven't been eating the skin of a kiwi, you've been missing out on some serious nutrition. Yes, the outer layer of the kiwi is packed with nutrients and folate, but most impressively, Maggie Moon, R.D. tells Women's Health that eating the skin of a kiwi actually increases your fiber intake by 50 percent — not to mention the antioxidant vitamin E that works wonders on your skin.

All of these nutrition benefits should be reason enough to ditch the peeling and bite right in, but if the idea of the fuzzy skin is unappealing, Moon has some tips to help you out. "Smoothies are a great equalizer for balancing challenging flavors and textures." Another option is to skip the green and go for yellow. If you didn't already know, not all kiwis are green. The skin of a yellow kiwi has a smoother and thinner texture that Moon says may be a bit more appetizing so you don't feel as if you are "chowing down on straight-up hair."

If you're ready to start eating your kiwis sans peeling, take a page from the playbook of someone from the kiwifruit industry. In a "You Should Know" post on Reddit, an insider from New Zealand says that you should always wash your kiwi if you plan on eating it with the skin on. During its travels from the orchard, the kiwi is never washed. This is because the stickers won't stick on wet fruit and it also helps to prevent moisture so fungus can't grow. 

When it comes to kiwis, you can rest easy knowing it's safe to eat your fruit whole, fuzz and all.