An old adage and most doctors have been asked at least once; does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? Patients often approached me with this very question, light-heartedly perhaps, but for some reason it sparked my interest – “was there any truth to this saying or was it entirely based on a fairy tale”.  Actually it started as a nursery rhyme:

An apple a day keeps the doctor away
Apple in the morning - Doctor's warning
Roast apple at night - starves the doctor outright
Eat an apple going to bed - knock the doctor on the head
Three each day, seven days a week - ruddy apple, ruddy cheek

After reading the research of numerous pomologists (fruit scientists) and nutritionists on the nutritional value of apples I was amazed to learn how truly remarkable this fruit really is.  Apples contain one of the greatest diversity of nutrients found in any single food. Well rounded in minerals and vitamins and chalk full of fiber.  Apples even offer a fair amount of some of the essential amino acids (the building blocks of the body).

Minerals

One of the most important things in aiding the body’s immune system is maintaining a more alkaline state (as opposed to an acid pH created by high protein and refined sugar intake).  This may help reduce the risk of cancer as well as creating an environment less susceptible to infections (like the flu).  One of the major contributors to alkalizing the body is a good mineral intake (including calcium, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus).  Apples, like dark leafy green vegetables, contain all of these minerals as well as trace amounts of iron and zinc.

Glycemic Index

Many people on a low carbohydrate diet steer clear of apples because of their high carbohydrate content.  What most people don’t realize is that the carbohydrate content of a food is irrelevant.  What matters is the Glycemic Index (how much the blood sugar level rises in response to certain foods – a higher Glycemic Index means a higher blood sugar response).  This is absolutely imperative to a person with Diabetes, but also plays an important role in weight loss.  Apples, despite their high carbohydrate content, have a low Glycemic Index relative to most other foods.  Compare an apple to a slice of wheat bread; an apple has around 20 grams of carbohydrates, which is about the same as a slice of bread. However, the Glycemic Index of a medium sized apple is about 28, where the Glycemic Index of that single slice of bread is about 2 ½ times that, at 70.  How can that be?  It’s all in the fiber

Fiber

Apples contain more dietary fiber than most any other food.  In fact, a single apple contains as much dietary fiber as 3 cups of raw spinach.   Fiber is an important part of a healthy diet.  It serves a plethora of essential functions to the digestive tract as well as to the rest of the body.  Fiber binds carbohydrates in the digestive tract slowing the absorption of sugar into the blood stream.  That’s why an apple has a much lower Glycemic Index than a slice of bread.  There are two different kinds of fiber; soluble fiber (fiber that can absorb water) and insoluble fiber (fiber that can’t absorb water).  Apples, as well as most other fruits and vegetables contain both.  Soluble fiber, that’s the fiber responsible for reducing the Glycemic Index, has been shown to lower cholesterol and LDL and may decrease and even reverse atherosclerosis.  In 1998, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) authorized the use of the following statement on labeling foods containing soluble fiber:

"diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 7 grams of soluble fiber per day may reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering cholesterol".

That’s a bold statement coming from the FDA and one that most naturopathic physicians, nutritionists and other holistic health care providers have been aware of for decades.  Soluble fiber also contains the food necessary to maintain the digestive tracts’ probiotics (the beneficial intestinal microorganisms).  Maintaining these probiotics is important.  They are an essential part of the guts immune system, via decreasing the growth of unfriendly microorganisms.  Additionally, they serve to produce vitamin Bs and vitamin K for the body and convert fiber into short-chained fatty acids (SCFA), which is a direct fuel source for the cells in the colon.

Insoluble fiber has also been shown to have a significant part in maintaining and improving health.  Every good physician knows that good health cannot be attained without a healthy gut.  The gut is responsible for the absorption of nutrients and the elimination of waste.  Good absorption and good elimination mean improved health.  Insoluble fiber acts like a scrub brush on the intestinal walls, keeping the gut clean and free of toxins.  It also adds bulk to the stool, which stimulates peristalsis (the normal contractions of the digestive tract) and thereby decreases transit time (the time it takes food to move from one end of the digestive tract to the other). Food is essentially dead or dying matter and as it sits around it begins to rot and putrefy.  This occurs in the gut especially in people with long transit times.  The toxins from the putrefying food get into the blood and compromise health on many levels.  This is why a good transit time is important to good health.

Antioxidants

Most people are familiar with antioxidants like vitamin C and vitamin A.  The purpose of antioxidants is to eliminate or scavenge free radicals (destructive molecules that are made during metabolism and more often during exposure to environmental toxins like pollution).  Too many circulating free radicals can damage body cells and have even been implicated in the cause of some cancers.  Most fruits and vegetables are high in antioxidants.  Apples, in addition to having vitamin A and C, are high in an antioxidant called quercitin.  Quercitin has been gaining much notoriety as an antioxidant more powerful than even vitamin C.  It is highest in red apples (as well as blueberries and onions) and most concentrated in the skin of the apple.

Toxins

In addition to containing the highest amount of antioxidants, the skin of the apple is where much of the insoluble fiber and minerals concentrate. The only dilemma is that the skin of the apple also acts as a barrier to all the pesticides and herbicides (like the organophosphates and DDT metabolites) that are sprayed during cultivation.  Mothers were wise to suggest washing apples before eating them.  However, washing can't remove the chemicals that were absorbed into the skin.  Research has only begun to reveal the many deleterious side effects of the long term consumption of these sprayed toxins.  I almost feel that it would be more beneficial to remove the skin before eating the apple in an effort to avoid the ingestion of these toxic chemicals.  The best solution is to always buy organic apples, that way the skin can be consumed along with all the nutrients contained within it.

So there you have it.  The apple; decorative, sweet and nutritious.  It is truly an incredible work of art by nature. However, the question still remains; does an apple a day really keep the doctor away?  Well, it certainly sounds like a great way to start.

 

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