"An apple a day keeps the doctor away."
Turns out there's a lot of truth to it than you would expect. Studies indicate that apples have powerful health benefits, particularly when it comes to tackling chronic diseases that routinely kill millions of people.
There are many apple-licious ways to add them to your meals, along with the valuable ways to help keep you healthy.
May help fight cancer
Apples' antioxidant activity against cancer almost tops among fruits (second only to cranberries). There is a decreased chance of many cancers, including colorectal, breast, and prostate, associated with eating an apple a day (or more). In fact, a review of several Italian studies revealed that consuming one or more apple servings a day tended to minimize the risk of colorectal cancer more than consuming any other fruit.
Many human tests have shown that eating apples can be effective in reducing cancer of the lungs and prostate. Do not throw the peel, however, that's where much of the antioxidants that battle cancer are detected.
Helps in weight loss
For less than 100 calories, one medium apple will help fill you up, so it's no wonder that apples can help in weight loss. It turns out that it's the type of apple you consume that matters. People who ate apple slices before a meal feel fuller and more relaxed in one study than persons who had applesauce, apple juice, or no apples at all. The same study also showed that, relative to those who missed the apple slices, beginning a meal with apple slices made people consume an average of 200 fewer calories.
Good for the heart
Many experiments indicate that apples in various aspects are healthy for the ticker. Their high fiber content (lowering bad LDL cholesterol and increasing healthy HDL cholesterol) has been shown to help improve cholesterol levels. Subjects who consumed two apples a day for eight weeks had slightly lower LDL cholesterol levels in a recent clinical trial than those who did not eat the fruit. The researchers cite the fiber of apples, but also polyphenols-you benefit from the nutrients of the entire fruit working together.
Florida State University also learned that people who ate whole fruits like apples were less likely to have high blood pressure. And the Women's Health Study found that women who consumed apples had a decreased risk of heart disease by up to 22% over the seven-year study period. Finally, a Dutch study showed that eating apples and pears, due to their high fiber and a flavonoid called quercetin, was correlated with a 52%t lower stroke risk.
Enjoy the whole fruit, both flesh and skin, to get the best nutrition. In addition to using apples in your favorite cooked and baked foods, make sure to eat them fresh: in the cooking process, its antioxidants may be destroyed.
