There are certain foods that you know are good for you, you’ve had them and you like them. However, you probably aren’t eating them as often as you should be. Apples certainly fall into that category, and there are many great benefits that you can get from eating more. It’s estimated that the average person eats less than one pound worth of apples per week, leading us to believe that there are many that bring up the average and even more that aren’t eating apples at all.
That means that the average person is only eating around two apples per week, though it’s something that you should work into your daily eating habit. So why are apples so important? It’s not like you’ve never had one before, right? Let’s take a look at some of the great benefits you get from eating apples, and why they have been classified as a superfood.
Nutritious and Delicious
While one cup of apples per day won’t be able to replace your multivitamin, there are plenty of beneficial nutrients to be found inside. That one cup of sliced apples contains 10 percent of your recommended vitamin C intake, which will help you prevent a wide range of diseases that include your common head cold all the way up to cancer.
Apples also have at least a small amount of many of the other vitamins that your body needs, including vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin B6 and riboflavin. The one thing that stands out the most in terms of the nutritious value of apples, though, is how much dietary fiber it has. You can get 12 percent of your recommended fiber intake from a cup of apples, which will be a big help for your digestive system. Gut health is a big problem for people as our diets start to go away from whole foods and more toward processed foods, so apples can help your digestive system get back in fighting shape.
The fiber contents of an apple can also help you lower your cholesterol. Studies have shown that those who eat two apples each day can lower their cholesterol by nearly 20 percent. That fiber starts to make your LDL cholesterol fade away, which is the type we want to get rid of.
Cancer Prevention
There have been a lot of studies about how effective apples can be when it comes to preventing certain types of cancer. Well, we have good news, as apples are among the most helpful foods in that department. Cancers of the colon, breast, liver and lung have all been found to be more preventable when eating apples on a daily basis.
Colon cancer is tied into your digestive system, and introducing more dietary fiber can reduce your chances of colon cancer by nearly 50 percent. The more apples you eat, the more likely you are to avoid breast cancer as you increase your chance of risk by more than 40 percent from six daily apples (though you don’t have to eat that many).
As for liver and lung cancers, the risk of developing these two diseases drops by more than 50 percent by eating apples daily. These are all types of cancers that can be life threatening, and seem to be more common these days. Trying to keep them away is key, and apples are a simple thing to add to your diet to make your life longer.
Dropping the Pounds
We all know that we should eat more fruit in our diets, especially if we want to lose weight. A hearty sized apple contains fewer than 100 calories, which makes for a nutritious snack that is both filling and won’t increase your waistline. Having an apple will also curb your cravings for some of the unhealthier foods out there, as the fiber content makes you feel full.
You have probably also heard of some of the popular detox diets out there, but eating apples will give you a lot of the detoxification that you need. The nutrients of an apple help your liver operate more efficiently, which will make you feel less sluggish and increase your blood flow. Not only that, but it helps to control your blood sugar, which in turn, provides a metabolism boost that you need to lose weight.
Disease Free
Cancer isn’t the only major disease that apples can help you combat on a daily basis. Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, heart disease, gallstones, irritable bowel syndrome and cataracts are all diseases that you can prevent with apples. You already know how good apples are for the digestive system, which helps you with gallstones and irritable bowel syndrome, but how about the others?
Cataracts are more common once you start to age, though apples can help prevent them by up to 15 percent due to its antioxidants. Those same antioxidants are fighting free radicals in your body, which are responsible for developing Parkinson’s disease. Your lowered cholesterol from eating apples will also help you stay away from many different heart diseases while the blood sugar control helps with treatment and prevention of diabetes.
Not only are you fighting away all of these nasty diseases, but you will get an immune system boost for the lighter ones that you face on a yearly basis. The common cold, the flu and other infections can be eliminated quicker due to the immune boost. That boost comes from quercetin, which is the antioxidant found within an apple.
Summing it Up
Nobody ever tells you that you shouldn’t eat an apple, because many know that it’s good for you. They just don’t know how good it can be. There is a reason that it has been classified as a superfood, and there are even some minor benefits that are sure to be found with more research. However, it leads to the question, is there anything negative about eating apples on a daily basis?
Any negatives that you can get from apples are going to be temporary. If you are not used to a high fiber diet, your digestive system might take some time to get used to, which can cause stomach cramps and loose stool. This only lasts for a couple of days at most, though. The only other thing you need to look out for is how the apples were grown. Obviously, you are going to get the most out of organic apples, so try to stay away from ones that have grown around pesticides.
Other than that, you are free and clear to eat apples to your heart’s content. Usually two per day will do the trick, though you can get away with one. You don’t have to eat an entire bushel throughout each day.