We all know apple when we started learning English alphabets where ‘A’ stands for ‘Apple.’ Now, let us see about apple beyond this. The apple (Malus Domestica) is a fruit that comes under the pome category. It is the fourth largest produced fruit in the world after banana, orange, and grapes. There are numerous ways in which apples benefit the body, which we will read later.
China is the major apple-producing country in the world. Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttarakhand, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu are the prominent apple-producing states in India. An apple grows on small, delicious trees and is called “The king of delicious fruit” due to its attractive color, beautiful shape, and delightful taste. Apple is tasty and juicy and has various tastes, from sour to sweet. Red Delicious, Fuji, Grammy Smith, Golden Delicious, Gala apple, Ginger gold, Honey crisp, Jonathan, and Jonagold are famous worldwide.
“An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” – How?
As children, many of us were told to “Eat your vegetables because they are good for you,” and the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” is still quite popular. This familiar expression about apple was first coined in 1913. It was based on the Pembrokeshire proverb that originated in 1866 because, along with their beautiful shape, apples are loaded with essential nutrients, including fibers, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
One medium apple (182 g approximately) provides the nutrients like 95 calories, 25 g carbohydrates, 4.5 g fiber, 9% of the daily value Vitamin C, 5% of the daily value copper, 4% of the daily value potassium, 3% of the everyday value vitamin K.
Some Famous Products Of Apples
Besides fresh apple consumption, apples are widely processed into various products like apple candy, jam, jelly, juice, sauce, apple pulp, apple butter, apple pectin, etc. Thus, it can improve one’s health and keep the doctor away because of the powerful apple fruit benefits. So, we all need to consume at least one apple a day for a healthy life.
How Apples Benefit The Body?
1. Apples Are Immunity Booster
Apples benefit the body by boosting its immunity. Quercetin is an antioxidant primarily found in delicious red apples, building the body’s natural defenses. Recent studies have found that quercetin can help boost and fortify your immune system, especially when stressed out.
2. Apples Help Reduce Cancer Risk
Apple is an individual fruit associated with a decreased risk of lung cancer. Women who consumed at least one serving per day have a reduced risk of lung cancer. Flavonoids from apples were most likely responsible for decreasing the risk of lung cancer.
3. Apples Are Anti-cholesterol
Apple has high amounts of fiber, and when we eat apples, the soluble fibers compete with fats in the intestine. This competition between fiber and fats results in decreased absorption of bad cholesterol levels and an increase in HDL absorption. High-density lipoprotein means good cholesterol.
4. Apples Help Treat Asthma
Phyto-chemical and polyphenols are the chemicals that give the apple its healing properties, which can assist an individual recovering from asthma, breathing problems and improve the general functioning of the lungs. Therefore, eating apples benefit the body by treating asthma.
5. Apples Help Prevent Tooth Decay
Tooth decay is the result of unhealthy oral hygiene. If you did not keep your teeth healthy, your teeth would cause infection, bacteria, resulting in tooth decay. Eating apples can reduce tooth decay. Chewing and biting an apple mindfully stimulates saliva production, which lowers bacteria levels in the mouth.
6. Apples Help Promote Healthy Heart
Apple contains fiber, vitamin C, antioxidants, and potassium. A medium-sized apple provides 13-20% of a person’s daily fiber needs, 9-11% of a person’s daily vitamin C needs, and 4% of a person’s daily potassium needs. Where fiber helps regulate blood pressure, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, vitamin C is an antioxidant. It boosts the immune system, and potassium reduces the risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular complications.
7. Apples Help In Weight Loss
To get in proper shape and have a fit body, apples are the best solution. Overeating is one of the causes of unhealthy weight gain. And when hungry, we forget which foods we are eating. Apples satisfy the hunger for few calories, and high fiber content helps a person feel full longer, making them less likely to overeat.
8. Apples Help In Glowing Skin
Apple is rich in antioxidants and vitamin C, which helps prevent aging, wrinkles, and skin glossy. Its antioxidant property also helps reduce cell and tissue damage. Apples are abundant in elastin and collagen that help keep skin young and glowing.
9. Apples Are Anti-diabetic
As apples are rich in soluble fibers, they help control blood sugar levels in the body by transporting the sugar into the bloodstream at a slower rate. Due to their low glycemic index (GI), they help prevent raising blood sugar levels, further preventing blood sugar spikes.
10. Apples Beat Constipation
Constipation occurs when there is no proper working of the digestion process. It also happens due to a deficiency of dietary fiber. But eating apples benefit the body as they are the healthy choice for treating constipation. The high fiber content of apples can pull water out of your colon, thus reducing constipation.
