If you're tossing those leftover fruit parts in the trash, you could be missing out on some tasty flavors and powerful nutrients.
Here are 11 food parts you should never throw away.

1. Watermelon seeds and rinds. Although they don’t look like it, watermelon seeds can be roasted in the oven and eaten like pumpkin seeds for a healthy snack. The white rind of a watermelon may not be your favorite part to eat, but it contains the powerful amino acid citrulline, which when digested, is converted to arginine. Arginine can help reduce muscle fatigue, increase blood flow, and improve circulation. Watermelon rinds also have vitamin B6 and C. The rind can be chopped up and put in a fruit salad, pureed into a salsa, or thrown into a smoothie.
2. Ripe banana peels. Yes, you can eat banana peels, but usually as part of something else. Banana peels are worth saving because they have tryptophan, the amino acid in turkey that makes you sleepy. This is because the tryptophan naturally boosts your levels of serotonin. To prepare the peels for your favorite recipe, boil them for ten minutes or so to soften them. You can then puree the peels and add them to muffin or cake batter, soups, or smoothies.
3. Lemon, lime, and orange peels. A lot of recipes call for the zest of a citrus peel, and for good reason. It contains five times more vitamin C than the flesh of the citrus fruit and other nutrients as well, like magnesium, zinc, iron, potassium, niacin, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamins A, B5, B6, and folate. You can add the grated peels to muffin batter, smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, or to a cup of hot tea.
4. Avocado seeds. Yes, you can eat avocado seeds too - but again, there is some prep work involved. Remove the pit from the avocado and wait until you have about three or four pits to process. Put the pits in an oven at 250 degrees for about two hours. When they are cooled, cut the seeds into smaller pieces and put them in a food processor until they are chopped into a coarse powder. You can also use a cheese grater. it extra nutrients like phenolic compounds which can help prevent cardiovascular disease, cancer, and other degenerative illnesses.
5. Kiwi skins. Did you know that you can eat a kiwi - skin and all - just like an apple? The skin is actually edible and obviously very high in fiber. It also contains vitamin C. Eating a kiwi whole isn’t for anyone, so if you can’t do it, throw a chopped kiwi - skin and all - into a blender with your next smoothie.
6. The core of a pineapple. The core of a pineapple isn’t that appetizing to eat raw, but don’t throw it away. Instead, chop it up into cubes and freeze them in a plastic zip bag for later use. The core of the pineapple has anti-inflammatory properties that work to relieve inflamed sinuses and nasal passages, along with muscle soreness and arthritis. It also contains bromelain - which is a protein-digesting enzyme.
7. The skin of an onion. Instead of peeling an onion when you make a soup or stew, put it in whole. The skin of a yellow onion has a high content of a flavonoid called quercetin. This is a polyphenol-type of phytonutrient that is very healthy for the heart. Quercetin also reduces blood pressure and prevents arterial plaque. And if you sauté chopped onions with the skins, you will never know they are there.
8. Celery leaves. Remove the celery leaves from the stalks and put them in a plastic storage bag, along with paper toweling, to store in the refrigerator for later use. The celery leaves are much more nutritious than the stocks and are full of vitamin C, calcium, and magnesium. They can be shredded and used in salads, vegetable soups, and as edible garnishes.
9. Swiss chard stems. Swiss chard, like spinach and kale, can be used to make many dishes healthier. But there are always those left-over stems that go right in the trash. However, the next time you use Swiss chard, there is a way to prepare the stems to make a healthier snack than the leaves themselves. This is because the stems are rich in iron and glutamine, and high in fiber too. Bake the stems in the oven with olive oil and salt at 375 degrees for
10. Broccoli stalks. Broccoli is another vegetable where people eat the tasty florets and then throw the stalks away. However, the stalks contain something called sulforaphane. You may not have heard of it, but sulforaphane is a phytochemical antioxidant that does many things like neutralize carcinogens, reduce inflammation, and protect cells from DNA damage.
11. Beet greens. Even people who eat beets still throw the greens out because it seems like the thing to do. But these greens contain nutrients like protein, fiber, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. They also have a phytonutrient that prevents eye degeneration by keeping eyesight strong.

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