APPLE NUTRITION
An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
There’s truth in the old adage ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away.’ Though small and super portable, an apple packs a nutritional punch.
One of the many nutritional benefits of apples is their high fiber content causes the fruit’s natural sugars to be slowly released into the bloodstream, helping maintain steady blood sugar levels and staving off hunger. Eating an apple a day has been shown to help with weight management, immune support, lung function, cognitive abilities, and bone health.
More and more research has linked consumption of apples and apple products to the reduction or prevention of:
Alzheimer’s disease
- Asthma
- Breast cancer
- Colon cancer
- Heart disease
- Type II diabetes
- Liver cancer
- Digestive cancers
Source US Apple Association. USApple.org
Apple Nutritional Benefits
Not convinced? Apples are also a great choice for heart health. Studies have also found nutritional benefits of apples to be helpful in reducing oxidized LDL, the “bad cholesterol”, by 40%. Plus apples have these other heart healthy benefits:
- Apples are fat, cholesterol and sodium-FREE.
- An average sized apple has 5g of fiber—both soluble and insoluble
- Apples contain small amounts of potassium
Apple Nutritional Value
An Apple Serving Defined
The high nutritional value of apples is the reason the USDA recommends at least 1-2 cups of fruit per day for children and adults based on gender and age. It’s easy to work PA apples into your diet. A serving of apples doesn’t have to be limited to the whole fruit! These all count as one apple serving:
- 1 medium apple (about the size of a tennis ball)
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned apple
- 1/2 cup chopped, cooked or canned apple
- 6 ounces of 100% apple juice
- 1/2 cup of applesauce
Fresh or Processed Apples?
Since nearly 65% of Pennsylvania’s apple crop is used for processed apple products, it’s nice to know how fresh PA apples equate to processed products. Here are some handy conversions:
- (1) 8 oz. cup of apple juice = 1 cup of fresh apples
- ½ cup of dried apples = 1 cup of fresh apples
- (1) 8 oz. cup of apple cider = 1 cup of fresh apples
- 1 cup of apple sauce = 1 cup of fresh apples
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