HEALTH MATTERS: Eat One Apple a Day, See What Happens to Your Body

Hello people and welcome back. Now, let’s see if it is really true what the doctors say, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Apples are known worldwide as a relatively cheap and readily available, delicious fruit. There’s hardly any person on the planet who’s never tasted it fresh or in the form of juice. Apple pies are also a pretty common desert. But does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? This saying has been around for years and years, but does everybody benefit from eating apples? And are there any conditions under which it’s better to stay away from this fruit completely?

Let us look at 10 facts about eating apples that everyone should be aware of to stay their healthiest.

There is a Pantry of Vitamins in a Single Fruit. It’s true that every apple contains a whole variety of vitamins. One medium sized apple contains about 95 calories. Along with the feeling of fullness in your stomach, you get about 4 grams of Vitamin C, and a huge daily intake of useful microelements, like Manganese, Potassium and Copper, along with vitamins A, E, B1, B2 and B6.

An apple is also one of the most easily digestible sources of iron. Apples are used not only for the prevention of colds, but also for the treatment of severe ailments, like malignant tumors. A sufficient amount of potassium helps stabilize blood pressure, but calcium is needed to strengthen tooth enamel and bone tissues.

Apples Strengthen Your Brain. Many studies have shown that eating apples regularly improves brain activity. These fruits contain a special antioxidant, which prevents cell destruction and inflammation. Apple juice promotes the formation of an important neurotransmitter that significantly improves memory. A 2008 study published in the Journal of Food Science showed that apples contribute to the prevention of Alzheimer's.

Apples are helpful to Heart & Blood & Vessels. Scientists have already proved that eating apples daily reduces the risk of strokes and thrombosis, as it normalizes cholesterol levels in the blood. They’ve compared the effect of consuming about one apple per day with taking special medicines, called statins, which lower cholesterol level, but have some side effects. Experts estimate that apples are almost as effective in reducing mortality from heart disease as medications. In addition, eating apples prevent the formation of gallstones.

Stones are cholesterol residues that are “petrified,” and the fiber from apples helps to normalize cholesterol levels. Thanks to this, the cardiovascular system also heals. In one large study, eating an apple a day was associated with a 28% reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes. Even if you only eat a few apples a week, there’ll be a similar protective effect.

Apples are good for stomach health. It’s said that apples can help in curing gastritis, especially the green varieties. To do this, you need to thoroughly wash the apples, then peel and grate them. Eat the grated apples early in the morning. Since you can’t eat anything for 4 hours before and after the apples, prepare to have breakfast around 11 o’clock. In the first month, you eat apples in this form daily. In the second month - three times a week; and in the third month - once a week.

But all this should be combined with the prescribed diet, that is, to exclude spicy and salty foods, fats, coffee, strong tea, and freshly baked bread. You should ask your doctor about this method to make sure you have all the necessary information.

Apples help in Losing Weight. The fiber contained in green apples takes a long time to be absorbed, making you feel fuller longer. Unlike artificial diet powders and supplements, apples are almost totally hypoallergenic, and hence you reduce the risk of a bad skin reaction on such a diet. However, it’s important to remember here that nutritionists don’t recommend eating apples after 4 P.M. They’ve proved that in this case, your body simply won’t have enough time to digest all the nutrients from the apple. Apples contribute to gas formation, so don’t forget to take this into account while trying an apple diet.

Eat Apples For Better Digesting. Due to the fiber and pectin contained in apples, these fruits can help fight virtually any digestion problem.

They normalize the intestinal micro flora and help promote the good type of bacteria in our gut and due to the content of vitamins in apples such as carotene, iron, manganese, potassium and calcium, they’re recommended for intestinal infections.

apples can provoke a disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. So if you have some troubles with gastritis or a duodenal ulcer, you’d better choose baked apples instead of raw ones. Apples don’t lose too many nutrients during cooking.

Beauty and Health with an Apple A Day. Due to the pectin that’s in each apple, consuming these fruits on a daily basis will help improve complexion, and prolong youthfulness and freshness of the skin. Apples contain an anti-aging compound. The baked apples have the same great benefits as raw apples, so you can have some variety in your diet. Not only can you eat apples, but you can also apply them on your hair and skin in the form of beauty-masks. Try to put thin slices of apples on the skin under the eyes to get rid of edema and dark circles.

3.Apples Help Strengthen the Immune System. Everyone knows what stress can do to a person: bad mood, low productivity, inner health problems and much more. Apples can help here. Due to the antioxidant quercetin which is found mainly in red apples, these fruits can strengthen the immune system, and help the body cope with stress. They also help to cleanse the liver in these situations.

Eat Apples Daily but know the limits. Despite all the beneficial properties of apples, they shouldn’t be consumed without limits. Apples contain carbohydrates, which our body processes into glucose. If you lead an active lifestyle, play sports or visit gym at least 2 times a week, then it’ll be beneficial for you but if you have a sedentary job and an inactive life, apples can do harm by causing spikes in blood sugar. That’s why it’s better to avoid eating more than 3 medium sized apples per day. In this case, you’ll get useful substances, but not harm the body or add too many extra calories.

Apple – Culinary Miracle. Of course, it’s better to eat any fruit in an uncooked way but to diversify your daily ratio, and keep consuming all the vital microelements that apples contain, you can make juice or smoothies, bake pies, or make deserts. You could even make chips out of them! People in Italy eat briquette with apples, and in India they cook apple chutney. Just search the web and you’ll find a whole bunch of tasty things that are easy to cook.

Do you know some nice recipes yourself? Don’t be greedy; share them in the comments section below!

Here are a few more interesting things about apples for you:

They consist of 85% water, which means that these fruits are vital for hydration and energizing. It’s better to eat an apple about 20 minutes before the main meal. That’ll help to take the edge off your hunger and, hence, you’ll consume fewer calories while eating.

It doesn’t matter whether you choose a red apple or a green one; all in all, every type of this fruit is beneficial. Just try not to peel them, because a bunch of the nutrients are contained on the skin.

As you can judge by yourself, an apple a day may not totally keep the doctor away, but It’ll help! Remember that with every single juicy crunch you take.

Let’s end this segment with this challenge, eat an apple a day for a month and lets see how this goes, shall we? This marks the end and as always, I look forward to reading your comments. Stay loved!