Monday 6 June 2022 11:40 PM From raw to dried, we reveal the best way to have your apple a day trends now
Apples are a cheap and convenient source of fibre and beneficial antioxidants, plus plant compounds called polyphenols such as quercetin, which has anti-inflammatory properties.
This might explain studies that link regularly eating one apple a day with a reduced risk of heart disease, asthma and type 2 diabetes.
An apple a day can also have ‘a significant preventative effect’ in lung, colorectal and digestive tract cancers, according to a review by Perugia University, Italy, published in 2016 in the journal Public Health Nutrition.
At about 50 calories each, apples may also help with weight loss, partly as the 2.5g fibre in the fruit boosts satiety.
Apples are a cheap and convenient source of fibre and beneficial antioxidants, plus plant compounds called polyphenols such as quercetin, which has anti-inflammatory properties
Scientists at Pennsylvania University in the U.S. found that eating two apples 15 minutes before a meal could cut calorie intake from the meal by 15 per cent (even with the calories in the apples).
To maximise the health benefits, eat the peel, too.
‘Peeling an apple, you lose half the fibre and other important antioxidant plant compounds which are found in and just under the skin,’ says dietitian Dr Sarah Schenker.
Apples also regularly appear in a U.S. annual ‘dirty dozen’ list of foods with the most pesticides, so Dr Schenker says always wash them before eating.
CookedWhen you bake or stew your apple, some nutrients in it are lost — but other benefits are gained.
‘If you boil fruit you lose the B and C vitamins into the cooking water, but you will still get these nutrients if you consume the cooking liquid,’ says Liangzi Zhang, a nutritional scientist with the Food Databanks National Capability team, a research centre funded by the Government. ‘Grilling, roasting, steaming or microwaving generally preserve more nutrients.’
Lightly cooking apples can triple
