You probably must have heard the Irish proverb: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. Not only does it keep the doctor away, it does you a whole lot of good. The feeling of biting a fresh, juicy apple to start your day is incomparable. Think about the satisfaction you give to your teeth! These tons of benefits are what we’re here to talk about. Ready? Let’s go!
What`s There to Know?
Apples are one of the most cultivated and consumed fruits and their benefits have earned them the appellation, “miracle food”. In fact, the Medical News Today has ranked apples as the most healthy food in their recent featured article about the top 10 healthy foods. Not only do apples have a rich nutritional value, they also have a rich history, and before going into the nitty-gritty of the nutritional part, let us go briefly into the history of their cultivation.
So How Did Apples Come About?
Apples are one of the first fruits to be cultivated. Apples were first mentioned in the city of Nuzi, Assyria at about 1500 BC and according to research, this healthy fruit originates from ancient forests situated in the hills of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan. Till today, these ancient forests still exist, and apple cultivation has gone extensive all over the temperate regions of the world.
A Little More About Apples
As established earlier, apples are one of the most cultivated fruits in the world. Today, there are more than 7,500 various cultivars that are being cultivated all over the world in both sub-tropical and temperate regions.
You could cultivate apples for a variety of reasons, ranging from cooking to raw-eating, to the production of cider (wholly natural apple juice). Having said that, we shall now proceed to learn about how apples can be of benefit to you. Leggo!
What Are the Benefits of Eating Apples?
Research has shown that apples can be of great benefit to you. In fact, apples may be one of the most healthy foods you could input into your daily diet. Let’s now see the health benefits that apples provide:
Improving Neurological Health
A research carried out in 2016 found out that apples contain a particular chemical, quercetin (an antioxidant present in apple), which is one compound that may help you reduce the death of cells that is caused by inflammation of neurons and oxidation of those cells.
Another study found out that taking apple juice may help you increase your brain’s production of acetylcholine, an essential neurotransmitter which helps in improving the memory, especially of people who show symptoms of Alzheimer’s.
Aids Digestion
Apples are an excellent source of fruit fiber and therefore can be of help to you in the digestion of food. Frequent consumption of apples helps you ensure smooth movements within your bowels, lowers the likelihood of you having constipation and other stomach disorders.
Furthermore, the fiber in apples stimulates the secretion of digestive juices to ensure adequate assimilation of nutrients around the body.
Not only does eating apples help you take care of digestion, apples can also be advantageous when it comes to cholesterol and heart issues. Apple fibers help to blot out cholesterol from the arteries, veins and other blood vessels, which helps to promote proper heart health and reduce the risks of arteriosclerosis
Tackles Cancer
Scared of ever being referred to as a cancer patient? Then apples should be your friend today. Extensive studies have been undergone for some time to ascertain how apples help to prevent—and sometimes, cure—cancer, especially the breast and colon cancers. However, the greatest discoveries have been made in treating lung cancer. Apples have a potent capacity to battle lung cancer, and even curb its spread if it develops, which is due to the high phytonutrient content, which comprises kaempferol and quercetin.
So if you wish to ward off cancer from your life, do it with apples!
Treats Anemia
Apples are rich in iron, which comes in handy when anemia is involved. Anemia results basically from a stark deficiency of hemoglobin in the blood, and simply taking apples puts you on the road to treating it because the iron content of apples helps to synthesize the red blood cells in the body.
Apart from treating anemia, eating apples also ensures proper oxygenation of vital organs to keep them up and running always!
Reduces Weakness
Feeling weak and need the energy and vitality you need to keep you going? Trust apples. They are known to reduce weakness while refreshing you with vigor, which is as a result of the combined action of the little proteins and antioxidants that are present in them. Doctors often recommend apples to patients who are recuperating.
In addition, apples also help in detoxifying the body and enhancing your overall health. They are also important in gaining weight, so if you’re interested in putting on some weight, go for apples!
Controls Diabetes
Diabetes is one ailment that needs no introduction. It has continued to ravage people, and so far, no cure has been discovered for the illness. However, there’s a natural means with which you can regulate the monster—and that’s eating apples regularly.
Apples contain polyphenols which have the direct ability to reduce the assimilation of carbohydrate in the body. This, in turn, reduces the level of blood sugar, which is a primary factor in keeping diabetes in check.
In addition, these polyphenols also help to lower glucose absorption in our alimentary canal and stimulate the secretion of insulin, which is necessary to fight diabetes.
Dental Health
Looking for clean, lovely teeth? You should trust apples. Eating apples helps a lot in cleaning both the teeth and gums. When you consume apples, the fruit fiber in them cleanses the teeth through its anti-microbial operations. Through these anti-microbial operations, these fruit fiber also helps you fight bacteria and certain viruses in the teeth.
Eating apples also helps to reduce the occurrence of tooth cavities, dental caries, and periodontitis.
So, in addition to your tooth care products, you should go natural and trust apples!
Treats Respiratory Issues
Apples are beneficial to most of our body’s systems, and the respiratory tract is no exception. Our respiratory system is prone to inflammations of various kinds and a few respiratory disorders (such as asthma) are primarily connected to inflammations. How do apples come in handy? you may think. Well, apples have shown great anti-inflammatory behavior and, in the case of asthma, they are simply the best natural treatments for the disorder, far superseding the combined curative efforts of fruits and vegetables.
Treats Rheumatism
People who suffer rheumatism find apples beneficial. Flavonoids, kaempferol, quercetin, and myricetin are connected to helping in the cure of rheumatism and other inflammatory conditions such as Arthritis and gout.
Final Words…
There are other conditions such as impaired vision and dry skin which apples can help to cure or prevent. Apples can also come in handy for making apple juice, in making desserts, and can be baked, fried, mashed or dried into chips and eaten as a wonderful snack.
The Midas touch that apples bring to the table is probably what inspired the Irish to tell us that apples have what it takes to keep doctors away. As we have seen, apples are beneficial to almost every part of our body—be it mental, nutritional, dental and otherwise. Therefore, do all you can to eat apples always!
