What do apples do for your health

Since ingesting the peel is just as important as eating the fruit, thinly slicing the apple may be the easiest way to chomp through all that protective goodness. There seems to be less health benefits from drinking apple juice or eating apple sauce , so add some Fixodent to your choppers and get munching on the real, raw apple for the best bone density protection. Eat your apple with the skin on for the best fiber and polyphenol intake. Since you want to eat the skin, going organic when purchasing apples can add an extra layer of health benefits.

Apples are one of the fruits on Dirty Dozen when it comes to heavy chemical use. They seem to make the list every year. Since many growers use fertilizers to increase yield, pesticides to reduce insect damage, and herbicides to reduce weeds; apples can have a large number of contaminants.

When purchasing apples, certified organic is best. Becoming organic certified is expensive and many small farmers cannot afford the certification. Chat with your food vendor and ask about their growing practices, you may be surprised to find their apples and other items are produced organically or near organically making them a better and trusted food source. The best way to get all the organic goodness from your fruits and vegetables, grow you own.

Start with a small organic garden, or even a tiered patio pot and get started on amping-up your green thumb skills. For the best apples on your table, grow you own. You can experiment with a ton of different variety options, control the amount of chemicals applied to the trees, and enjoy the freshest apples you will ever eat.

Part of the fun is watching the trees grow, bloom, and produce fresh eating fruit. Apples can be grown in a wide range of USDA Hardiness Zones making them attractive to any home gardener or orchardist. From Granny Smith to Red Delicious, you will find an apple that is perfect for your home planting. Some apple trees can even be grown in patio pots for the gardener who has limited space. Below is a list of a few of our favorite apple varieties. Click through each apple to see if they are just what you need to add to your mini apple orchard.

To view all of our apple variety reviews visit our Apple Page where we will guide your on your apple tree selection and growing journey. Acquiring a green thumb is just a short step away. Adding apples to your daily menu is simple. Grab one as your go-to, mid-day snack. They can be sweet and juicy or tart and crunchy, but anyway you slice them, the health benefits are clear, a diet high in fibre and low in calories is a perfect combination for a healthy snack.

When cooking with apples, try to stay clear of the standards with lots of added sugar. It further said that epidemiological observations indicate that regular consumption of one or more apples a day may reduce the risk for lung and colon cancer. Hey, can you guess all the causes of cancer? Well, let this quiz decide that for you. Bone Health Scientists believe that the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds in apples may help promote bone density and strength.

A Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center study found that antioxidant-rich fruits like apples have a pronounced effect on bone, as shown by higher bone mass, trabecular bone volume, and bone formation.

Skin health Apples contain a high content of vitamin C, which helps build collagen. Copper present in apples also encourages the skin to produce melanin, which, in turn, helps protect the skin from UV rays. Melanin also helps build healthy tissues, hair and eyes. A laboratory study concluded that quercetin has a neuroprotective effect, possibly because it prevents the creation of reactive species. It appears to help neurons survive and continue to function. It may therefore help prevent age-related neuron loss.

It is worth noting that most studies of this type used high doses of quercetin that are unlikely to be present in normal dietary sources. In addition, scientists need to do more studies in humans before they can confirm that quercetin improves neurological health in people.

Find out here. An older study from looked at how consuming apples over 28 years affected the risk of stroke in 9, people. Apples contain many nutrients that may lower the risk of stroke.

One review found, for example, that people who consume the most fiber appear to have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease , and stroke. A medium sized apple around 3 inches in diameter and weighing grams g provides 4. What are the benefits of following a healthful diet? Learn more here. One study found that eating raw apples lowered levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol among healthy people, but that drinking clear apple juice did not have the same impact.

The authors therefore conclude that it is the fiber in apples that helps reduce cholesterol. Get some more tips for lowering cholesterol here. Apples contain fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, and potassium. A medium sized apple provides the following:. Fiber appears to help manage blood pressure , which may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that, alongside other antioxidants, may play a role in protecting some aspects of heart health.

Vitamin C may also boost the immune system and help defend the body from infections and diseases. Potassium helps relax the blood vessels, reducing the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular complications. What other foods can help lower blood pressure? Also, those who consume the most fiber have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, suggested one review. People who already have diabetes and follow a high fiber diet may also have lower blood sugar levels.

A review published in November in the journal Nutrients found that vitamin C plays many roles in helping the immune system function, such as by strengthening the epithelial a type of tissue barrier against pathogens and guarding against environmental oxidative stress, such as pollution to radiation, according to research. If you have type 2 diabetes , consider adding apples to your diet. Plus, per Mayo, a healthy diet that includes insoluble fiber can lower your odds of developing type 2 diabetes in the first place.

Furthermore, a study of people with type 2 diabetes published in August in Experimental and Therapeutic Medicine found that regularly consuming soluble fiber helped reduce insulin resistance and improved blood sugar and triglyceride levels. Research suggests that apples have a very high level of antioxidants, and in laboratory studies, these antioxidants have been shown to limit cancer cell growth.

A review published in October in Public Health Nutrition found that eating apples regularly is associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, including colorectal , oral cavity, esophageal, and breast cancers.

The fiber in apples may provide cancer-preventing perks. A study published in March in the journal Pediatrics found that women who ate more high-fiber foods during adolescence and young adulthood especially lots of fruits and vegetables had a lower breast cancer risk later in life. And another study, published in January in the journal The Lancet , found that a diet high in dietary fiber could protect against colorectal cancer and breast cancer, as well as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.