Fruits are best eaten whole. When you consume a whole fruit you are consuming the flesh, the skin and the pulp. Each of these parts contain different sets of nutrients – such as fibre and flavonoids in the skin and vitamins and minerals in the flesh and even more fibre in the pulp. The nutrients in each component interact with each other, enhancing their digestion and absorption into the body.
But what if you like drinking your fruit? Then blend instead of juicing it to retain its fibre – many of the health-protective compounds in fruits (i.e. polyphenols, a class of phytonutrients) are bound to the fibre.