You know the old saying: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Turns
out there's more truth to that than you might think. Studies show apples
have powerful health benefits, particularly when it comes to fighting
chronic diseases that kill millions of people each year. So powerful are
components found in apples, that a 2022 study in Antioxidants
shows that researchers are looking for ways to include apples in health
care products for the prevention and treatment of diseases caused by inflammation. Here are a few reasons why eating more apples can help keep you healthy, along with some apple-licious ways to add them to your meals.
The nutrition varies slightly between the different apple varieties, but not all that much. Here's the nutrition breakdown for one medium apple, per the USDA.
0 g fat
25 g carbohydrates
4 g fiber
8 mg vitamin C
98 IU vitamin A
195 mg potassium
Apples are high in water content—they're about 85% water—and rich in fiber
(a medium apple contains 4 grams or about 16% of your daily value), two
things you need to feel full. Apples have one other feel-full benefit:
They take time to eat. Foods you can gobble down quickly tend to leave
you hungry, so you end up eating more.
Apples also have a low glycemic index, which means your blood sugar levels don't spike when you eat them. So while a rosy Red Delicious or sunny Honeycrisp might taste amazingly sweet, your body is able to process the sugar in a manageable way.
And because apples are both sweet and filling,
snacking on an apple can be a smart way to respond to cravings. Just be
sure to eat the whole fruit, peel and all, as the peel also contains
fiber and nutrients. In fact, a 2022 study in Foods
showed that the peel of Fuji apples contributes to 41% of the apple's
total flavonoid content and 31% of the phenolic content of the entire
apple (flavonoids and phenols have antioxidant properties).
Like any other food, apples are not a magic bullet for all things health. But including them regularly in your diet, along with other fruits and vegetables, may allow you to reap many of the health benefits shown here. And while we love eating apples as is, we also love including them in our recipes, like Sausage-Stuffed Apples, Curried Chicken Apple Wraps or Roasted Squash & Apples with Dried Cherries & Pepitas. You can also simply dice and toss them into your salads.
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