When I was a kid, I wondered what this saying meant “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” – Why? Then one day not so long ago, I came upon this saying on a site, and thought it’s time to take a look at this.
First the history – always interesting. The history behind this saying originates from a rhyme from Wales which stated ‘eat an apple on going to bed and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread’. In England, in 1913 the saying was changed to ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. The premise being that eating healthy would certainly curtail the need for physician visits to the home due to eating nutritiously. Of course, adding any fruit to your diet would have these benefits.
So should we debunk this great proverb or not? Definitely not! Not only are apples healthy, there are so many choices in the grocery store now. We have our gala, our mcintosh, granny smith and more. But to be sure, some of the great benefits of eating apples are listed below:
- Low in calories and sodium, apples have no fat or cholesterol, and are sweet to eat, can replace a sugar craving at snack time.
- Apples are an excellent source of vitamin A which promotes vision and bone development
- Biting into an apple is healthy for your teeth! Eating an apple acts like a tooth brush to clean your teeth and reduce bacteria.
- Don’t forget the peel – always eat the peel for more fibre and antioxidant protection.
- Fight inflammation as the antioxidants in apples act as natural health-boosting antioxidants.
- Apples are packed with great nutrients such as Pectin, Vitamin C, Phytonutrients, Boron and Quercetin.
Pectin is a prebitotic that feeds probiotics which are the healthy bacteria in our stomach. An apple is a great any time snack good for the whole family, however be certain to add it into your diet during flu season. Vitamin C, is an immune booster, again necessary during the flu season. When you feel a cold coming on, be sure to add apples to your diet.
The apple packs a lot of benefits into our health regime. But does it keep the doctor away – not always! Make sure to eat a balanced meal, with a variety of foods and don’t forget your apple!
Written by Johanna Booy – Care & Company Ltd.
