Apples: Health Benefits, Risks, and Nutrition Facts

Where do apples come from?

Originally from Eastern Europe and Asia, the apples are very durable fruits, even fresh, managing to maintain their nutritional and aromatic properties for about four months, if kept in optimal conditions, in a cool and dark place. Apples are nowadays the most consumed fruits in the world being considered the healthiest of all the fruits because of their beneficial properties and content of vitamins and minerals. Let’s out which are the apples’ health benefits, risks and nutrition facts.

Here are some interesting things everyone should know about harvesting apples, especially if you have your own plantation in your home’s yard:

• The apple harvesting period varies between 15 September and the end of October.
• There are several varieties of apples, the sweet ones being harvested earlier, while those of the more sour varieties can not be harvested until the end of October. Also, if you have several different varieties in the orchard, they should be kept separate, so you can consume them according to their degree of resistance.
• When it comes to their size, the most suitable for keeping are medium-sized apples with no traces of injury which must be placed in pots and kept in cool and dark places.

Apples: Health Benefits

Beneficial properties of the apples have long been studied by specialists, who have come to the conclusion that this common fruit can be extremely beneficial to the human body, being used today as a natural remedy, or even as an ally of the weight loss diets.

Here are some of the apples’ health benefits:

• Protects against the metabolic syndrome – people who eat apples every day have a lower risk of suffering from metabolic syndrome over the course of their lives. The metabolic syndrome can cause diabetes and serious heart diseases.
• They are an excellent source of multivitamins – if consumed with the shells (of course, washed thoroughly in advance), apples can provide an increased supply of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to the body’s health, such as vitamins A and C, calcium, potassium, iron, Phosphorus, folic acid, and a high level of antioxidants.
• Regulates blood glucose levels – apples contain certain phytonutrients, such as quercetin, that can prevent sudden fluctuations in the blood sugar levels. Also, apple vinegar is considered to be a real help in controlling high blood sugar, which is why it is often used as a natural treatment for diabetic patients.
• They can prevent and control atherosclerosis – the specialists in the field have confirmed that a daily consumption of apples, for one month, can reduce by 40% the concentration in the blood of the substances that are responsible for damaging the elasticity of the arteries, causing atherosclerosis.

Apples: Risks

Usually, there are no risks of apple consumption.

Apples are harmless food from this point of view. However, you probably already know that any excess of food may cause food allergies or digestive discomfort, and apples are included in this category.

The specialists claim that when the apples are consumed in excess, even if they have been thoroughly washed before consumption, there are chances that some traces of pollen to still exist on their surface. Those pollen traces can cause allergies.

Another risk, or side-effect if you want, of apple consumption is the problem of the teeth. Although they are considered to be a natural teeth whitening remedy, there are many cases of people who have broken one or more teeth because of the consumption of a whole apple.

‘Most cases of broken teeth have been reported after eating apples or carrots,’ says Dr. John F. Buzzatto, president of the American Orthodontic Association. However, Dr. Buzzatto argues that we should not, in any case, give up the consumption of apples but just eat them in smaller slices in order to avoid any trouble.

Apples: Weight Loss

According to nutrition specialists, apples can be an ally in the weight loss diets, especially because of its detoxifying properties. A 5-day apple cure can be the shock that the body needs from time to time to remove the toxins and to work properly.

Also, due to their low-calorie content and high fiber content, vitamins, and minerals, apples can be an ally of any balanced healthy diet, giving you the feeling of satiety without the fats and the extra pounds.

Apples: Nutrition Facts

The following nutrition information is for 100 grams.

Energy – 52 kcal

Fats – 0.1 grams

Carbohydrates – 14 grams

Protein – 0.4 grams

Also, apples are rich in vitamins and minerals.

The vitamins contained by the apples are retinol (Vitamin A1), ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), tocopherol (Vitamin E), and niacin (Vitamin B3).

The minerals that the apples contain are potassium, phosphorus, and calcium.

Because of these nutrition facts, more specifically thanks to the apples’ content of so many beneficial elements, apples are recommended to be introduced in the diets specific to few diseases, as it follows:

• You must introduce apples in your diet if suffering from hypertension.
• Apples are recommended for sufferers of gout and rheumatism, as well as those suffering from urinary lithiasis.
• Are indicated to people who suffer from colibacillosis.
• Apples cure cystitis.

These were the apples’ health benefits, risks and nutrition facts, and hopefully, all this information helped you to embrace a healthy diet based on at least