In the U.S. alone, we eat more than 3.2 billion pounds of bananas each year – that’s 304 bananas every second. The discarded peels add tons of organic waste to our landfills, which wreaks havoc on our environment and health.

YOU can help redirect 20 million pounds of banana peels by joining the eatCleaner® Save the Peels seven-day challenge which will also help you supercharge your health and spruce up your plate while spreading the word and saving the planet.

Beginning March 2…

Text SAVETHEPEELS to 22828 or visit eatcleaner.com/savethepeels to join the movement and receive a free seven-day Save the Peels guide and recipe booklet packed with nutrition facts, cooking tips, household hacks, product discounts and easy-to-share ideas.  Watch the eatCleaner® YouTube channel and Facebook page for how-to videos providing hands-on tips to create your own delicious, clean recipes, and use #savethepeels on social media for a chance to win fun prizes from eatCleaner®.

When is the last time you ate a banana peel?

If you’re thinking that’s just for monkeys, think again. In the U.S. alone, we eat more than 3.2 billion pounds of bananas each year – that’s 304 bananas every second – and the discarded peels add an extra 780 million pounds to our landfills. That’s the weight of 1,300 jumbo jets in banana peels! And all of this waste wreaks havoc on our environment and our health. Decomposing produce is one of the leading causes of harmful methane gas emissions, and we miss huge health and culinary benefits by tossing them away.

That’s why today, eatCleaner® announced the launch of a seven-day Save The Peels challenge to help redirect over 18 million pounds of food waste while showcasing the many ways peels can enhance your health and add mega flavor to any meal. eatCleaner® inventor, founder, and CEO of Grow Green Industries, INC., The Fit Foodie Chef Mareya Ibrahim, aims to shift America’s thinking by raising awareness around smarter, cleaner eating habits.

“Just think of all the produce peels we are automatically conditioned to throw out, from citrus to bananas to veggie peels like potatoes, carrots, apples and kiwi that are easily eaten but get trashed anyway!” says Ibrahim, “You can literally double down on the health benefits and flavor you get from most produce by consuming the peels! A small shift in thinking and smart hacks for using the peels can help people get the most benefit out of peels and keep them out of the trash.”

The first step, however, is to ensure that all peels are properly and thoroughly cleaned with a produce wash like eatCleaner® to remove agricultural sprays, waxes, chemicals and debris that can carry harmful bacteria.

March kicks off National Nutrition Month and leads into April’s Earth Day, making this the perfect time to focus on eco-friendly health solutions – which happen to be Ibrahim’s specialty: “We are going to provide people with a whole myriad of ways to consume peels for the benefit of their health and the planet. When we know better, we do better, and with a new level of awareness, hopefully, people can adopt new, healthy habits for a lifetime.”

Here are just a few creative ways that Ibrahim consumes fruit and veggie peels:

• Use a ripe, clean peel in a smoothie, banana bread or muffin recipe for enhanced fiber, amino acid and antioxidant benefits. The riper the peel, the sweeter the product – and less added sugar needed. (We found this fabulous recipe from The Latina Cook!)
• Add peels to your juicer and give fresh-pressed, raw juices a big nutrient and enzyme boost (Here are some suggested tips on which peels to use and not use from Juicing For Health)
• Infuse grated orange, lime, lemon and grapefruit zest into olive oil for use in salad dressings and to instantly boost flavor and antioxidant power of cooked veggies, fish and chicken;
• Rub banana peels on your skin to improve tone and texture. (We checked this out at Hoax or Fact and they gave it a thumbs up! According to their website as well as others: A banana peel is rich in Potassium and other Antioxidants, including Lutein, which may help in protecting our skin from sun damage. It also contains esterified fatty acids, which are in fact separated and used in lotions for treating eczema and psoriasis.)

Also check out these articles:

• 10 Things To Do With Banana Peels
• Basic Information About Landfill Gas