Apples - skin on or skin off, which is best? Please help me settle an argument.

[PavlovtheForgetfulCat]

DH and I are having an argument. I shan't tell you whose argument is who, tell me which one is right please.

DD is eating an apple which has been peeled. She is enjoying it.

a) One of us feels the apple does not need to be peeled, in fact should not be peeled as it has vitamins and nutrients in the skin, DD likes it with skin so peeling is pointless, and peeling the skin is wasting skin. It is potentially encouraging an unecessarily fussy way of eating which might be hard to change later.

b) The other of us feels there is nothing wrong with peeling, it adds different textures, and ways of eating apples, and it will of course not mean DD will prefer to eat apples without the skin, it will give her variety. The skin does not have lots of nutrients and vitamins, only fibre, and that the rest of the apple is as good as the skin. It is not a waste to peel the skin.

Opinions please.

Oh and DD is 3.2 and is being supervised while she is eating it, cut up on a plate at the table, so risk of choking in relation to skin on/off is not an issue.

I don't think there is any nutritional difference ??? Apples have most probably been frozern and transported so there isn't tht much more benefit with/out peel??? I peel because you don't know what has been sprayed etc - for hygiene ..

The big question in our house is do you eat the core???

I don't peel the skin off (seems like extra effort to get rid of something dd likes). My dd is 2.4 btw.

i say a.
why bother peeling it if she is perfectly happy to have it as it is?
i am sure she has plenty of different textures in the rest of her food, no need to make more work for yourself

Thank you for that. One all so far!

DD does not eat the core as person b) cuts it out and throws it away.

We buy organic apples from local sources and wash them thoroughly. I hope they have not been frozen/sprayed with chemicals, skin or no skin!

Leave skin on. I agree that there could be an issue of encouraging fussiness, and as kids get older being able to pass an apple to them for a snack, or stick one in a lunchbox, is invaluable!!

But if you leave the skin on, then wash it cos they are covered in stuff (wax, pesticides etc) most of the time (or so says my sister who used to work for produce in a large supermarket!)

sorry, x-post about the pesticides etc ....

As long as is organic is absolutely fine to eat the skin - I'd only peel apples if they were non-organic. DS1 loved eating apples with skin from 12 months - and he'll eat the core too if you dont whisk it away from him in time.

People get apples with skin on here. I don't peel apples.

No need to peel it, i say leave the peel on (Unless she specifically asks for no peel!)

I peel apples for dd who is 19 months. Don't cut it up though. Skin is a bit more of a choking hazard as it's quite tough.

My dd1 ate a banana skin when she was 18 months.

Not sure why I'm telling you that!

LOL weegie DD has eaten some strange things too! I guess, unless we tell them they can't eat it, they think it is edible!

In theory I think a. But in practice, I remember my mum peeling and coring the odd apple for me and really enjoying it (she used to leave a whole peeled apple with a hole in the middle) so I think I'd like to do this for DD now and again, just for a change.

person a) gives DD a whole apple with skin on.

person b) gives apple cut up with skin off. Although sometimes gives it with skin on too.

Apple skin is where most of the pectin is located. Pectin is a source of fibre (insoluble) and often used as a gelling agent in food products.
It is thought to help lower cholesterol - not too much of a worry in a toddler I'd have thought.

Some people with bowel problems cannot tolerate insoluble fibre - hence would peel apples. If your DD can tolerate the skin and it doesn't give wind or come out the other end undigested, should be no harm in it.

plantsitter person b) is happy that one person agrees entirely!!

the skin should be left on. no need to teach bad habits.

Peeling an apple is a bad habit? Smoking, eating crap and peeling apples

If she likes the apple with the skin on, I honestly can't see why you'd peel it. I peel apples for my DD but she won't eat them otherwise and I think eating a peeled apple is much better than eating no apple at all. If she was prepared to tolerate the skin (and I did try to get her to like it) there is no way on earth I'd go to the faff of peeling it. But I am very very lazy so you might want to take that into account.

Who was which then, Pavlov?

A, as long as washed.

I also remember my mother peeling apples for me when I was little as a special treat. I still loved unpeeled though.

What's wrong with a bit of both?

I would in any case wash the apple to get rid of dust, germs etc.

I keep the skin on - i am a)
DH peels and cores - he is b).

I peel apples to make pudding and both dcs happily steal the peel and eat it

My mother used to leave the cores in but I hate the texture of pip.