An apple a day… does keep the doctor away!
There’s more that a grain of truth to the old saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away!” Apples have landed on our foods for cancer prevention list for a number of reasons:
- Apples are unusually high in fiber, with an average of five grams. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, we need approximately 20 to 35 grams of fiber per day, so one apple provides about 15 to 25 percent of your daily fiber requirement. Apples contain both soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber is known as “pectin,” and is the substance that is added to jams and jellies to make them gel. Pectin has the power to decrease the appetite for up to four hours, making it a more effective appetite suppressant than the insoluble fiber found in grains such as wheat and rye. (Oats, like apples, are also rich in soluble fiber.)
- It is a well documented fact that consuming soluble and insoluble fiber every day can decrease the levels of estrogen in the body. Insoluble fiber promotes regular bowel movement and prevents constipation. It also speeds toxins through the intestines more rapidly, which lessens their absorption.
- A Cornell University study found that rats that ate just one apple per day reduced their risk of breast cancer by 17 percent. Rats fed three apples per day reduced their risk by 39 percent and those fed six apples per day reduced their risk by 44 percent.
- Apples contain a wide variety of anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer phytonutrients, and it appears that apples may play a large role in reducing the risk of a wide variety of chronic disease and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in general. Of the papers reviewed, apples were most consistently associated with reduced risk of cancer, heart disease, asthma, and type II diabetes when compared to other fruits and vegetables and other sources of flavonoids. Apple consumption was also positively associated with increased lung function and increased weight loss.
Try to choose organic apples so that you can eat the skin, where many nutrients are to be found.
Are you having your apple a day?
I prefer organic Gala apples because they’re not too tart and not too sweet, not too soft and not too crisp. The added bonus is that the price and availability of the organic variety makes them an easy addition to my daily diet.
In love with the seasons new apple called “Honey crisp”.
Not too big on those green apples – too sour!
Is there any other fruit with similar properties to the apple ones?
This has inspired me to eat apples again!! My grandparents lived very long and healthy lives….and, now that I think about it, they ate apples often! Thank you for the reminder.