This zero-waste tea recipe is not only great for your health and the planet but tastes delicious. Plus, it’s easy to make. Let’s explore how to turn your leftover orange rinds into tea the whole family can enjoy!
Benefits of Fruit Peels
Did you know that the peel of fruits are considered to be the most nutrient-rich parts of the plant?
For instance, a raw apple with the skin contains up to 332% more vitamin K, 142% more vitamin A, 115% more vitamin C, 20% more calcium and up to 19% more potassium than a peeled apple. Not to mention that fruit peels are super high in fiber!
Of course, the flesh of fruits are packed with fiber and nutrients but word on the street is that these nutrients and antioxidants are most concentrated in the outer layer.
So it got me thinking. What if rather than just tossing out our fruit rinds we started including them in our diets? Not only would this be beneficial to our health, but it would also help us to reduce our daily food waste — or at least allow us to make the most of each ingredient before adding them to the compost bin.
One of my personal favorite ways to consume fruit peels? Turning them into tea. This zero-waste orange peel cinnamon tea recipe is one of my favorites! It’s easy to make, tastes great, and is full of health benefits.
Health Benefits
Orange Peel Health Benefits
Did you know that orange peels contain higher amounts of vitamin C than its flesh? In fact, 3.5 ounces of orange peel provides 136 milligrams (mg) of vitamin C, while the flesh only contains about 71 mg. 1 Not to mention that orange peels also contain considerable amounts of calcium, copper, magnesium, vitamin A, folate and other B vitamins and dietary fiber and are rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidant compounds that have been found to help prevent chronic diseases like heart disease and cancer.
Cinnamon Health Benefits
Cinnamon is a spice that is loaded with antioxidants. Just as a quick refresher, antioxidants are molecules that help neutralize or prevent the negative effects of free radicals in your body. Free radicals are substances that attack healthy cells, they can be either man-made or naturally occurring, e.g. environmental toxins like tobacco, alcohol, and pollution as well as substances found in processed food, etc. (You can read more about antioxidants here: 5 Health Greens To Add To Your Diet.)
In a study that compared the antioxidant activity of 26 spices, shares Healthline, “cinnamon wound up as the clear winner, even outranking “superfoods” like garlic and oregano.” And, if you’re struggling with inflammation, you might consider adding a bit more cinnamon to your diet as this spice is believed to have great anti-inflammatory properties.
PrintZero-Waste Orange Peel Cinnamon Tea Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 3 1x
- Category: Breakfast
Ingredients
- Peel of 1 orange
- 1 knob fresh ginger, chopped (1 knob of ginger = about 1 tbsp chopped ginger )
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
- 4 cups water
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1 tbsp fresh squeezed orange juice
Instructions
- Wash, slice, and peel orange.
- Cut orange rind into small cubes.
- Peel and chop ginger.
- Add water to pan and bring to boil.
- Once water is boiled, add the chopped orange rinds and ginger. Let mixture simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Add cinnamon, honey and fresh orange juice. Note: If you have a sweet tooth, feel free to add more honey and orange juice.
- Let mixture simmer for an additional 7-10 minutes. Note: For stronger flavor, let mixture sit for an additional 5 minutes. Any longer than that and I’ve found it starts to get bitter.
- Strain and serve.
Keywords: cinnamon, herbal tea, orange, zero-waste
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