biosynergy

bilby commented on the word biosynergy

"Now we come to something a little more contentious: today's buzzword is biosynergy, the theory that each part of a fruit or vegetable combines with the other parts to reinforce its nutritional benefit. Dr Marilyn Glenville, former president of the Food & Health Forum at the British Royal Society of Medicine, says that discarding the skin of fruit isn't the only mistake we make. She recommends eating stalks and cores, too. The list of fruits she would persuade us to eat whole includes bananas - the peel is high in serotonin, needed in the brain to lighten mood and ease depression - and kiwi fruits, whose skin is high in antioxidants and is claimed to have anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergenic properties (golden kiwis have thinner, sweeter skins, so could be more acceptable eaten whole). She also advises eating the cores of pineapples, which contain twice the levels of bromelain, a digestive enzyme that protects the stomach lining, and orange and tangerine peel, which contain super-flavonoids that can significantly improve your lipid profile, theoretically improving your chances of avoiding a heart attack or stroke. Glenville recommends adding grated citrus peel to your food or putting the whole, unpeeled fruit into a juicer. As for vegetables, she claims that broccoli stalks contain more calcium, vitamin C and fibre than the florets, and that some vegetable skins may have anti-cancer properties, too. Garlic skin, for example, contains six separate antioxidant compounds, according to Japanese researchers. Glenville reccomends roasting garlic whole, along with other Mediterranean vegetables."

- Dr Tom Smith, Top tips for a healthier 2011, theage.com.au, 3 Jan 2011.

Please forgive the longish citation which I hope will help provide some context.

January 3, 2011