You’ve probably heard the saying: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”, which generally means to say if you eat healthy foods, you will stay in good health and won’t need to see the doctor so often. So what is it about apples that makes them so special? And is the saying true? Let’s take a look.

Part of your 5-a-day

Apple contribute to you 5-a-day! Simple 1 medium apple or 2 heaped tablespoons of unsweetened 100% apple puree count as 1 of your 5-a-day.

Dietary Fibre - gut health & digestion

Apples are a source of dietary fibre, especially in their skin, so think about keep the skin on (but don’t forget to thoroughly wash it).

Dietary fibre feeds the good bacteria in our gut, which helps our gut health. It also helps us feel full for longer after a meal, bulks up and softens our stool decreasing constipation, and reduces our risk of certain diseases -  such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and certain cancers.

Find out more in my previous blog post: Dietary Fibre.

Vitamin C - immunity, skin health & plant-based iron absorption

Apples provide us with vitamin C. Getting vitamin C daily from our diet is important as it is an antioxidant that cannot be stored in the body.

Vitamin C is key to supporting our immune system - helping fight against infection - and maintaining healthy skin, teeth & bones. It is needed to make and maintain collagen and protects cells from oxidative damage - which can accelerate ageing.

Vitamin C is an important part of a plant-based diet, as it helps increase the absorption of plant-based iron. Adding bell peppers alongside a source of plant-based iron (e.g. pulses, nuts & dark leafy greens) will help increase iron absorption.

Antioxidants - mood, brain & heart health 

Apples are rich in a variety phytochemicals - beneficial plant chemicals - particularly fincluding quercetin, catechin, phloridzin and chlorogenic acid, all of which are powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. 

These phytochemicals have been associated with better mood, brain function - brain activity, attention & memory -, heart health - blood pressure & blood cholesterol - and may have a protective effect against cancer.

Potassium - heart health & fluid balance

Apples are a source of potassium, a mineral that supports the proper functioning of our heart muscles which helps control & maintain normal blood pressure. 

Potassium also controls fluid balance in our bodies, meaning it regulates the water balance inside and outside our cells. This is important because maintaining equal fluid balance is crucial to avoid dehydration which in turn can affect our health.

So, eating an apple a day won’t keep the doctor away, but it’s got some pretty great benefits!

The take-home:

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References

1. McCance & Widdowson. The Composition of Foods integrated dataset 2021. 2021. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from  https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/composition-of-foods-integrated-dataset-cofid 

2. British Nutrition Foundation. Vitamins and Minerals in our Food. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from  https://www.nutrition.org.uk/media/5xeeolog/vitamins-and-minerals-in-our-food-pdf.pdf 

3. European Food Safety Authority. 2013. Scientific Opinion on Dietary Reference Values for vitamin C. EFSA Journal 2013;11(11):3418 https://www.efsa.europa.eu/en/efsajournal/pub/3418

4. NHS. Vitamins and Minerals - Vitamin C. NHS Sources. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/vitamin-c/ 

5. Boyer J, Liu RH. Apple phytochemicals and their health benefits. Nutr J. 2004 May 12;3:5. doi: 10.1186/1475-2891-3-5. PMID: 15140261; PMCID: PMC442131.

6. NHS. Vitamins and Minerals - Others - Potassium. NHS Sources. Retrieved February 24, 2024, from https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/vitamins-and-minerals/others/