Ahh, the great banana! There are so many health benefits that the bright yellow fruit holds within its skin, but there seems to be a ton of health benefits in the actual skin itself! At least that is what top dietitian Susie Burrell says.

Burrell says that eating the peel of a banana can improve your sleep, enhance your skin and even boost weight loss.

“Specifically, you will increase your overall fiber content by at least ten percent as a lot of dietary fiber can be found in the skin of the banana. You will get almost 20 percent more vitamin B6 and almost 20 percent more vitamin C and you will boost both your potassium and magnesium intake,” Burrell stated.

Now, don’t just go and eat the peel of a banana after you have finished the inside goodness, it would taste awful! It’s best to work the peel into a blended smoothie or some sort of baked goods.

By working the peels into your smoothies or baked goods, you increase the volume and nutritional content of recipes.

What peel should you choose to eat?

Bananas with bright yellow skins have a higher proportion of antioxidants associated with anti-cancer effects while green skins (less ripe bananas) are particularly rich in the amino acid tryptophan which is associated with good sleep quality.

Green banana skins are also rich in resistance starch, the special type of fiber known to benefit gut health. Green skins are much tougher than yellow skins, so boiling them a bit to soften them is a must!

Other great uses for banana peels!

Try using banana peels to cook meat on! Sounds weird right? Although weird, it will help to boost the moisture content of any meal! You can also use banana peels to make an awesome tasting homemade vinegar!

In addition to all of this goodness, bananas have high potassium levels and combats the hardening and ­narrowing of arteries.

With all of this said, sounds like it’s time to start saving those peels and eating them up!