Health-Food
It is almost impossible to have lived in this world for 15 years without having heard or come across the statement “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Yes, the statement is that popular.
Is it just an idiomatic expression with some literary representation, a wise man quote with some hidden meaning or a statement as literal in meaning as it is said? Read till the end of this article and you shall find your answer.
Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world. They are juicy round fruits of Eurasian origin. They are considered to be one of the healthiest fruits in the world as they contain high amounts of vitamins, dietary fiber and antioxidants.
It would be inappropriate to discuss an apple, especially when it appears in the same statement with the word "doctor" without talking about its nutritional values first.
Nutritional values of an apple
An apple is a sweet, juicy and crunchy fruit. It could come in different colors, the green and the red are the most common ones.
Irrespective of the color an apple has, each fruit weighs around 182 grams. That covers approximately one-third of the recommended minimum intake portion of fruits and vegetables a day.
An average sized apple contains; 95g calories, 25g carbs, 0g fat, 1g Protein, 13g naturally occurring sugar, 4g of fibre, 14% of its nutrient reference value in vitamin c and 6% of its nutrient reference value in potassium.
Having known the nutritional contents of an apple, one might ask, how do these nutrients benefit the body?
Health benefits of an apple
One of the most important health enhancing features of an apple is that it contains antioxidants. Antioxidants are substances that are responsible for protecting our cells against damages that occur from factors like pollution, dangerous radiations, UV rays, cancer, heart disease, and so on.
Daily intake of an apple would enhance your antibodies and help protect you from health issues arising from system pollution and contamination.
Another health benefit of consuming an apple is its cholesterol dissolving ability. Apples contain anti-cholesterol nutrients like Pectin. Pectin helps the digestive system to function properly. It also performs the task of flushing cholesterol and other toxins from your system while it helps your body to fight against constipation and diarrhoea.
Apples contain a high amount of flavonoid which helps to improve the sensitivity of insulin in areas necessary for the prevention of diabetes.
Do you know that eating apples also helps your body to repair your immune system and fix your damaged skin? Yes, apples are rich in quercetin, especially in the skin. Quercetin helps the body to eradicate many skin problems including inflammation and loss of skin cells. So when you eat your apple, make sure to eat it with skin and flesh.
As an icing on the cake, apples are naturally occurring sugar fruits and they help you to stay awake and active in the morning. The sugar in apples has proven to be more effective at keeping people active and awake than coffee.
Who needs bitter coffee when you can have a sweet apple in the morning to brighten your day?
Conclusion
If an apple contains so many nutrients to assist the body in such numerous ways including prevention and repair of body tissues and organs, then you have an answer to your question.
It would be safe to say that the statement "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" is literally a prescription to help you live a healthy life.
If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, why not take two or three and say bye to the doctor for good?
