Whether red, green, raw, cooked, pureed, juicy or shiny an apple is always great to eat and to enjoy, especially when in season. Your grandmother has probably told you: an apple a day keeps the doctor away. She was certainly right because apple nutrition benefits are high when one considers that its former name in latin was malum, meaning “evil”, “bad”. So is it really the forbidden fruit?
5 good reasons to eat apples
- They lower bad cholesterol levels and increase good cholesterol levels, i.e. the ones that protect our arteries and our blood vessels from cardiovascular disease. A Dutch study on 800 men aged between 65 to 84 years revealed that the more the participants absorbed bioflavonoids (from tea, onions and apples) the less they were likely to succumb to cardiovascular disease.
- They are beneficial to diabetics. Due to their low glycemic index and their high fiber content, they do not cause a high peak of sugar in the blood.
- Apples have anti-cancer properties. Eaten with their skin, they act powerfully against the growth of cancer cells.
- Laxative and diuretic because of its pectins, apples regulate intestinal functions. The phytonutrients found in apples protect the digestive system from oxidative stress and make the body more alkaline.
- As they are low in calories, apples help manage weight loss.
The numerous vitamins of the apples are mainly in the skin.
They are great as appetite suppressant.
Good to know
→ It is better to eat the apple with its skin.
→ Acidic apples are laxative.
→ Red Delicious apples are higher in antioxidants, followed by Cortland and Northern Spy.
→ To store them, always keep apples in the drawer of the fridge, and never at room temperature.
→ When possible, buy organic apples because they are on top of the list of the dirty dozen. Other wise, wash them longer but do eat them!
→ For a healthy snack, eat an Apple with nuts, yogurt or any nut butter. You’ll have your protein intake at the same time.
Apples are at their best in the fall. Applesauce, apple crumble, apple pie… don’t forget to use them in crunchy salads or a pork roast. Personally, I prefer biting into an apple.
How about an apple pie since apple is not the forbidden fruit after all?
Sources:
Passeportsante – in http://www.passeportsante.net/fr/Actualites/Nouvelles/Fiche.aspx?doc=2005053103
Mon alimentation org – http://aliments.monalimentation.org/pomme-avec-peau.html
Modus Vivendi. 1996. Encyclopedie des Vitamines.
- 7 or 8 apples (approx. 800 g) peeled and sliced thin
- 6 Tbsp orange juice
- For the glaze:
- 5 Tbsp maple syrup
- Cinnamon
- 6 Tbsp orange juice
- 4 Tbsp coconut oil
- 2 Tbsp almond butter (or any other nut butter)
- For the crust:
- 140 g almond flour
- 200 g oat flour
- 100 g coconut oil, melted
- 4 Tbsp applesauce
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a big bowl combine almond flour, oat flour, melted coconut oil and applesauce until a nice dough is formed
- Spread the dough with your hands in your pie dish.
- Bake the dough for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the apples and slice them into thin slices.
- In a large sauce pan, add orange juice and apples and cook over medium high heat. Apples should be softened but still holding their form.
- To make the glaze, add all the ingredients of the glaze in a saucepan. Cook on high heat and stir bringing the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 1 min.
- Remove the crust from the oven and layer the apples in a circular design.
- Pour the glaze on top of the apples and bake the pie in the oven for 15 minutes.
