An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Apples are one of the fruits that the UK produces well and they go well with just about anything. Enjoy it raw and crunchy, or juice it for a refreshing sweet drink. Cook it in tarts, cobblers and pies. Use it for making jellies and jams or use apple juice to thicken any other fruit jam and sweeten your desserts. Cook it along with roast meats for a tangy flavour or make a separate apple sauce to go with your roasted pork. Add it to your salads for a crunchy starter. Apples are very versatile, and unlike many other fruits, they can be eaten at any time of the year and they are great for keeping you in good health.

Personally, I cannot resist a “granny smith”. One of the world’s best cooking apples and a superb eating apple if left on the tree to ripen fully. My mouth waters just thinking at its hard texture and the juicy crispy flavours exploding in my mouth at each bite… But I am divagating here, let’s go back to the topic, is it really true that an apple a day can keep the doctor away?

An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apple in the morning - Doctor's warning
Roast apple at night - starves the doctor outright
Eat an apple going to bed - knock the doctor on the head
Three each day, seven days a week - ruddy apple, ruddy cheek

There are several reasons to believe the old English saying. I have gathered a few of those here:

• Apples have a low glycaemia index rating, which means that they release energy slowly and don’t produce high rises of blood sugar in the body.

• Apples contain a lot of pectin, which helps to remove toxins, and tartaric acid, which aids digestion. The pectin expands in your stomach, absorbing the moisture and stimulating the intestine. As a result, intestinal conditions get better, and it is easier to absorb other nutrients.
• The fibre content in apples help regulate bowel movements and may thus reduce the risk of colon cancer.
• Apples contain Vitamin C which boosts the immune system.
• Apples are rich in flavonoid, which are known for its antioxidant effects which in turn prevent Heart Disease.
• Apples help to reduce bad cholesterol. They prevent LDL cholesterol from turning into oxidized LDL, a very dangerous form of bad cholesterol which can be deadly.

• Apples keep you slim. If you are craving for sugar a regular size apple has only between 70 to 100 calories but it contains plenty of sugar to satisfy your sweet craving.
• Apples aid to prevent multiple cancers such as colon cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer.
• Apples contain phytonutrients, which prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson.
• Apples can keep the doctor away but also are good for keeping the dentist away. Apples are good to prevent tooth decay. The juice of the apples has properties that can kill up to 80% of bacteria in your mouth. If you cannot brush your teeth, at the end of your meal, at least aim to eat a serving of apples to clean your teeth. It’s not that difficult, even MacDonalds serves cut apples!
• Apples can help with weight loss as they do not have any cholesterol, and are bulky for their caloric content like most fruits and vegetables.
• Regular consumption of apples can keep your asthma under control. A research at the University of Nottingham showed that people who ate 5 apples or more per week had less respiratory problems, including asthma.
• In Norse mythology apples were associated with fertility.

I don’t know if you are convinced about the health benefits of apples.  As for me, I don’t need any excuses to eat mine and I am going straight to my kitchen looking for my fruit bowl where I always have a granny smith bright and tantalizing waiting for me…