1. Weight management—for your natural weight
Deborah Kauffmann, RD, LDN is a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and owner of Nutrition Counseling for Intuitive Eating in Glen Rock. She emphasizes the importance of aiming for your natural weight, which may not necessarily equate to weight loss. "Just like all foods, apples don't have any magical properties in terms of weight loss," Kauffmann says, "but they do have fiber to help people stay fuller for a very short period of time." Soluble fiber can help promote hunger-based eating, which Kauffmann says is key to maintaining your natural weight—not dieting.
2. Antioxidants to fight cell damage
It's weird to think about free radicals roaming your body, damaging your cells at any given moment. Free radicals come from internal sources like mitochondria, but also from external factors like cigarette smoke, pollution and pesticides. Fortunately, apples are rich in vitamin C as well as polyphenols, plant compounds with high antioxidant properties that actively combat free radicals. Kauffmann adds that apple skin has more polyphenols than the flesh, so it's important to eat both.
3. Decreased risk of type 2 diabetes
The polyphenols and soluble fiber in apples help to decrease the rate of sugar absorption. This helps decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes which accounts for upwards of 95% of all diabetes cases in the US.
4. Flourishing gut bacteria for physical and mental health
Apples contain pectin, a soluble fiber and prebiotic (you may know about pectin if you've ever made homemade jam or jelly). Prebiotics are important because they feed the good bacteria in your gut, otherwise known as probiotics.
Kauffmann notes that healthy gut bacteria is increasingly being linked to a variety of health benefits, like enhanced gastrointestinal health and calcium absorption. Prebiotics are also good for mental health. According to Tanya Jarrett, MPH, a nutritional therapist at Live Fresh in York, "85-90% of your serotonin is manufactured in your gut." That means eating prebiotic-rich foods like apples can make you happier, not just healthier.
5. Decreased risk of Alzheimer's
According to Kauffmann, there is a growing body of research relating apple juice to Alzheimer's. Studies show that consuming apple juice can help lower the production of plaque in the brain responsible for Alzheimer's. Drinking eight ounces of juice just three times a week can reduce risks associated with the disease by as much as 75%.
Plus! Don’t forget to wash your apples!
Every year, the Environmental Working Group produces a Dirty Dozen report that shows the 12 most likely types of produce to have pesticides. This year, apples are on the list. Both Jarrett and Kauffmann tout the necessity of washing your apples before eating them.
Using baking soda and water, vinegar and water or a store-bought vegetable wash can remove unsavory pesticides from the skin. Buying local, organic apples is even better!
