A phytonutrient is a bioactive (having an effect on a living organism) plant-derived compound (as resveratrol or sulforaphane) associated with positive health effects, such as protection against cancers and other diseases.
Why are our apples today less loaded with these important compounds? The cultivation of apples over such a long period of time is the culprit. Remember the saying “Don’t Mess with Mother Nature”. Well there you have it.
Food Activists, pioneering apple enthusiasts and USDA food scientists believe we can turn this around and bring back the more nutritious apple. At this time a group of specialists from the Agricultural Research Service of the USDA are gathering buds and cuttings from all the known species of wild apples. Even though their goal is to produce a more disease resistant variety, (still messing with Mother Nature), they are for the first time, also gathering information about their nutritional values. They have even traveled to Kazakhstan to test todays Malus sieversii.
There are other parts of the world also working to improve the nutritional value of our apples. Heritage Orchards are making a comeback and the desire for people to eat local has helped spur their interest. In New Zealand, as recent as the year 2000, a wild apple was found and tested to have more flavonoids, (Flavonoids are antioxidants with health benefits such as anti-inflammatory and antitumor effects) than any other known variety of apple and the second highest amount of proanthocyanidins (potent antioxidants that eliminate harmful free radicals and have the ability to make other antioxidants more powerful) than any other known variety of apple.
So keeping in mind that as we strive to bring back some of the nutrients lost over time, there are still some great healthful benefits to eating apples. First let’s look at them from an Eastern viewpoint.
According to John Douillard, a well-known Ayurvedist, there are also two potent ingredients in apples: malic acid and pectin. Malic acid not only thins bile; it actually helps dilate the bile ducts and the livers biliary tubes, which are used to detox the body. Apple pectin is a great detoxifier of the intestinal villi and the gut wall. He suggests eating an apple (remember we know that the sourer the apple, more nutrients it has, and the more malic acid, so the greener the better), at the end of meals to “flush” the system. Another suggestion he gives is to reach for an apple if you feel your blood sugar crashing. If you have unstable blood sugar, a tart green apple is better than a sweet red or yellow variety. (Colorado Cleanse, John Douillard).
If we look at an apple from a western nutrition angle, a medium apple with peel provides 118 grams (g) of Water, 72 Calories, 19g Carbohydrates, 3g Fiber, 0g Fat, 0.17mg Iron, 7mg Magnesium, 148mg Potassium, 1mg Sodium, 0.06mg Zinc, 4 micrograms (μg) Vit A, 0.02mg Thiamin, 0.04mg Riboflavin, 0.03mg Niacin, 0.06mg Vit B6, 4μg Folate, and 6mg Vit C. So in other words an apple is a low calorie, non-fat, convenient snack, that tastes really, really good.
So does an apple a day still keep the doctor away? I don’t really know after reading all the research, but I do know, I eat a lot of apples and I am never sick and my friends tell me that they see the same trend among their family members. So you be the judge. Now all that made me hungry, I think I will go eat an apple.
