Today's beneficial seasonal food from the Plant Kingdom...

Apples

Ahh, the famous apple. From bringing down the Garden of Eden to keeping the doctor away…pretty powerful little fruit, wouldn’t you say? Today, let’s explore the apple’s micro-universe to see why it is so great for our own micro-universe. From reducing risks of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma and diabetes overall to lowering risk of heart attack by 32% by eating one a day, studies find apples’s benefits are plentiful. Personally, with a particular apple derivative, I’m like the dad in the movie Big Fat Greek Wedding: Apple cider vinegar (and aloe vera) is my “Windex” – I apply it to all kinds of things and, let me tell you, it works.
Apples are so amazing, they remind me of an informercial: Just when you thought, “What an amazing product” and “I’m so sold on it” you hear, “but wait! There’s more! If you call now…”. Like Maryl said in the amazing Digestive System Part 2 post “THE POINT OF EATING IS TO ABSORB NUTRIENTS”, and to do this, the nutrients need to be clean, plentiful and available. But, relax, this doesn’t mean that we are going to binge on apples now. Always remember, it’s not about quantity, it’s about quality and what your body needs.

History: From the beginning, apples have been associated with love, beauty, luck, health, comfort, pleasure, wisdom, temptation, sensuality, sexuality, virility and fertility. Some varieties are Malus communis, Malus domestica, Malus pumila, and Malus sylvestris. The Crab-tree or Wild Apple (Pyrus malus), is native to Great Britain and is the wild ancestor of all the cultivated varieties of apple trees. It was the stock on which choice varieties were grafted (grafting is a method of fusing one variety with another) when brought from Europe, mostly from France. Apples of some sort were abundant before the Norman Conquest and were probably introduced into Britain by the Romans. Twenty-two varieties were mentioned by Italian author Pliny in his famous nature encyclopedia; there are now about 2,000 kinds cultivated. In the Old Saxon manuscripts there are numerous mentions of apples and cider. Romans conquered England about the first century B.C., they brought apple cultivation with them. William Tell gained fame by shooting an apple off his son’s head at the order of invaders of Switzerland. Seeds from an apple given to a London sea captain in 1820 are sometimes said to be the origin of the State of Washington apple crop (Note: now the largest in the U.S.). As the country was settled, nearly every farm grew some apples.

Description: There are many varieties of apples. When an apple is ripe enough to eat, it should be firm, with no bruises, crisp when bitten, and juicy. Some are more tart then others and some sweeter and more refreshing.

Nutritional Info: Mostly containing carbohydrates, apples have nearly 2 grams of fiber, about 10 mg of Vitamin C, 150 IU of Vitamin A and modest amounts of B1, B2, B3, B6 and Biotin. They also contain many minerals, like tons of potassium, about 15 mg of calcium, magnesium, and phosphorous, as well as about 330 mcg of iron and traces of copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc.

✶ Very high in fiber. Fiber (the bones of the fruits and veggies) cleans your intestines. And because of the high fiber content it has, the fruit’s natural sugars are slowly released into the blood stream, helping maintain steady blood sugar levels.

✶ Contains the phytonutrient pectin, which has a detoxifying quality, so it helps you cleanse your system.

✶ The juice of apples, without sugar, will often reduce acidity of the stomach; it converts into alkaline carbonates, and thus corrects sour fermentation.

✶ The acids of the apple not only make the fruit itself easily digestible, but they also make it helpful in digesting other foods.

✶ A ripe raw apple is one of the easiest edible substances for the stomach to deal with, the whole process of its digestion being completed in 85 minutes.

✶ The sugar of a sweet apple, like most fruit sugars, is practically a predigested food, and is soon ready to pass into the blood to provide energy and warmth for the body.

✶ It is stated on medical authority that in countries where unsweetened cider is used as a common beverage, stone or calculus is unknown, and a series of inquiries made of doctors in Normandy, where cider is the principal drink, brought to light the fact that not a single case of stone had been met with for 40 years.

✶ Ripe, juicy apples eaten at bedtime every night will cure some of the worst forms of constipation. Sour apples are the best for this purpose. Some cases of sleeplessness have been cured in this manner. People much inclined to biliousness will find this practice very valuable. In some cases, stewed apples will agree perfectly well, while raw ones prove disagreeable.

✶ The astringent juice of the Crab variety is rich in tannins and is helpful in chronic diarrhea.

✶ The Apple will also act as an excellent dentifrice, being a food that is not only cleansing to the teeth on account of its juices, but just hard enough to mechanically push back the gums so that the borders are cleared of deposits.

✶ The bark may be used in decoction for intermittent and bilious fevers.

✶ Apple cider vinegar is used for many ailments because it is extremely alkaline. I use it as a mouth wash to balance the mouth bacteria and drink it to balance the pH in my body. The amazing benefits of apple cider vinegar merits a post on its own.

✶ Apples are a natural source of health-promoting phytonutrients, including antioxidants that keep the cells free from damage.

✶ Apples and apple juice are two important foods for contributing the mineral boron to the diet, which may promote bone health.

Preparation: The apple flavor is widely accepted by almost all demographics, from little babies who eat them pureed and children who love a freshly squeezed apple juice (I still do, with some cinnamon please.) to adults, who love biting into a crisp, delicious apple in its natural state as a snack. The best way to eat an apple is as a whole food snack. Its enzymes and micronutrients are all intact, water soluble vitamins all there with the cleansing fiber ready to be your intestinal Swiffer. It’s all built the way it is and put together for a reason.

Special Note: Apples contain a sufficient amount fructose/natural sugar in it so please avoid adding sugar or consuming an apple product that has added sugar. Your body and cells will thank you. Also, the acid in apples has been linked to deterioration of tooth enamel, so, no overdosing.