Health Benefits of Apples, Risks and Tips

Apples are pretty much the perfect snack. They’re easy to carry, flavorful, filling, and low in calories. The average apple contains only 80 calories, and dried apples provide about 70 calories per ounce (30 g). In addition to vitamin C, a medium-size apple also contains 3 to 5 g of fiber. Apples can be eaten fresh or cooked in myriad ways—baked into pies, crisps, and tarts; added to poultry stuffing; and made into jelly, apple butter, and sauce.

Health Benefits

Staves off Alzheimer’s disease.
Apples contain quercetin, a powerful antioxidant that protects brain cells from degeneration in rats and might do the same in humans. Be sure to eat the skin, because it’s especially rich in diseasefighting compounds.

Protects against colon cancer.
When the natural fiber in apples ferments in the colon, it produces chemicals that help fight the formation of cancer cells, according to recent research from Germany. Other studies have shown that one type of antioxidant found in apples, called procyanidins, triggered a series of cell signals that resulted in cancer cell death.

Prevents high blood pressure.
Adults who eat apples are 37% less likely to have hypertension, according to a recent food database analysis.

Helps keep you slim.
They’re packed with fiber and water, so your stomach will want less. Plus, studies out of Washington State and Brazil have shown that people who eat at least three apples or pears a day lose weight.

Evens out your blood sugar.
Want to keep your blood sugar on an even keel? Heed the old saying about eating apples to keep the doctor away. Apples are loaded with soluble fiber, which slows the digestion of food and thus the entry of glucose into the bloodstream. One group of researchers discovered that women who ate at least one apple a day were 28% less likely to develop diabetes than those who ate none.

Helps fend off heart disease.
A fresh apple is an ideal snack. Apples are rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that help prevent heart disease—if you eat the skin.

Fights high cholesterol.
Apples are low in calories and high in the soluble fiber pectin, which helps lower arterydamaging LDL blood cholesterol levels.

Boosts dental hygiene.
Apples have long been called nature’s toothbrush; while they don’t actually cleanse the teeth, biting and chewing an apple stimulates the gums, and the sweetness of the apple prompts an increased flow of saliva, which reduces tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in the mouth.

Health Risks

Pesticides.
Apple trees thrive in most temperate climates, but because they are vulnerable to worms, scale, and other insects, they are usually sprayed with pesticides several times. Apples should always be washed carefully before eating; some experts even suggest peeling them, especially if they have been waxed. The wax itself is not a problem but it may prevent pesticide residues from being rinsed off.

Bacterial and other infections.
Escherichia coli (E. coli) and cryptosporidium have caused serious illness in people who consumed unpasteurized apple juice or apple cider. While the risk of becoming ill from these products is low, children, the elderly, and people with weakened immune systems are most susceptible and should take precautions by drinking pasteurized juice or cider. Most juices you buy in grocery stores are pasteurized (check the labels), but use caution when you buy drinks at roadside stands, country fairs, or visits to local orchards.

QUICK TIP:

Because applesauce is pleasant tasting and easily digested, doctors recommend it as an early baby food.

Allergies.
Sulfur dioxide is often added to dried apples to preserve moistness and color; it can provoke allergic reactions in susceptible people.

Eating Tips
• Sauté sliced apples and red onion to serve with pork tenderloin.
• Stir slivered Granny Smith apple into a red cabbage coleslaw.
• Simmer a chopped apple in a pot of chili for a touch of fruity sweetness.

Buying Tips
• Choose smaller apples. Larger apples ripen faster and may already be on their way out.
• Buy apples that are firm with no soft spots.
• Avoid apples that are discolored for their variety.

Storing Tips
• Store apples in plastic bags in the refrigerator to slow ripening.
• Apples will become overripe and mealy if they’re not refrigerated.
• Refrigerated apples will last up to 6 weeks.
• Check apples often, and remove any apples that begin to decay or else the others will do the same.