Apple season has finally arrived in North America. This is the time for apple picking and lots of apple eating!
It’s safe to say that most people who aren’t big fruit eaters will at least have an apple here and there. It’s also safe to say that among all the fruits sold at markets and grocery stores in North America, apples are the most popular among them.
The great thing about apples is that they are not only great tasting fruits, but they are really good for your health and your skin.
You’ll notice there are so many different types of apples at the grocery store and at markets and you can choose from tart tasting ones to the sweeter varieties. In fact, there are over several thousand different varieties of apples grown around the world!
Here are six practical reasons why apples are a great fruit:
1. They are easy to carry and make for the perfect brown-bag food
2. They are great for baking because you can make a variety of homemade goods with apples
3. You can eat apples with savoury dishes. The combination of apples with chicken or turkey is divine and it makes for an excellent fall dish
4. They are a fantastic addition to your smoothies
5. They add a nice sweetness when cooked with your morning oatmeal
6. A medium one only contains 80 calories
Here are 12 health and beauty reasons why you should eat apples more often:
1. They are packaged full of fibre … when it comes to having a healthy colon … fibre is your best friend
2. The fibre contained in apples will also help in the slow release of sugars in your body and as such help maintain your blood sugar levels and avoid peaks and valleys
3. Apples are rich sources of phytochemicals (antioxidants that fight off free radicals and environmental aging)
4. Apples (and apple juices) are the best source of the mineral called boron, which helps to promote bone growth
5. Apples help to reduce blood cholesterol thanks to the pectin that lower your bad cholesterol levels
6. Apples help with bowel movements
7. Apples keep your man healthy because they help with prostate cancer
8. The high fibre content in apples have been shown to be beneficial for these conditions: diminish the risk of a stroke, type II diabetes and asthma.
9. Apples have also been found to help reduce the risks of liver cancer
10. Just in time for Breast Cancer Awareness Month … a study by Cornell University showed a reduction in the risk of breast cancer of 17 per cent in female rats that ate one apple per day, that reduction went down to 39 per cent among female rats that ate three apples per day and 44 per cent among female rats that ate six apples per day!
11. Apples WILL help you age better and even prevent wrinkles AND stimulate hair growth thanks to a compound called procyanidin B-2!!!
12. Apples are great for weight loss because the high fibre content help with digestion and therefore help promote weight loss. There are studies that have proven that eating an apple (or pear) a day will help you lose more weight!
I guess there is only one logical way to finish this post: EAT MORE APPLES!
If you like food facts like I do, you’ll love this fact page on apples created by the University of Illinois: Apple Facts
Photo of apple in a bowl by The Marmot
Photo of apples on a tree by Clarity
Photo of apples at the grocery store by NinjaPoodles
