Perhaps one of the most overused phrase of all times “An apple a day, keeps the Doctor away.” Well, indeed it is, but why and how does it manage to keep its loyal consumers out of the clinics.
10 Reasons to fill your cart with Apples today
1. You won’t forget your name even at 90 – Apparently, a new study that has been done on mice showed results that conclude that drinking apple juice would keep Alzheimer’s away by fighting the effects of aging on the brain. The mice that were kept on a diet that had an enhanced apple intake showed on testing, higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and even did better in maze tests than the mice that were on a regular diet.
2. Teeth as white as freshly fallen snow – Of course, apples are no excuse to stop using your toothbrush, but they do aid the process of whitening. When biting and chewing an apple, all the saliva that is produced in your mouth goes towards reducing tooth decay by lowering the bacteria level.
3. Eat one, eat ten, no weight gained – Being overweight comes with its own set of problems, heart diseases, strokes, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and sleep apnea, to name a few. Foods high in fibre fill up your tummy without costing you too many calories. This makes apple the perfect diet fruit, since it is extremely rich in fibre content. So go on, have two, or three, or more. Many doctors (that you wouldn’t need to visit if you ate apples in the first place) recommend them as a necessary part a balanced diet.
4. Fight those germs off of your turf – Red apples contain a certain antioxidant known as Quercetin that helps in boosting up your immune system. Recent studies show that Quercetin even builds some parts of the immune system, especially when the body is under stress.
5. Get your bowels in order – Whether you’re going to the bathroom every 5 minutes, or you’re not going at all, apples are the key. They help in beating both diarrhea and constipation. As we’ve already established, apples are high in their fibrous content. This fibre can help in pulling water out of the colon when you’re backed up and help in moving things along or in turn, absorb the excess water from your stool to slow down your bowels. Staying away from dairy and fatty foods is also a major help when constipated, since it could be a symptom of the irritable bowel syndrome.
6. Clean up that liver – In today’s world, our regular diet is no longer a balanced one and we are constantly consuming foods and drinks that are high in toxins. The organ responsible for cleaning out these toxins is the liver. There are many detoxification supplements and diets available in the market but the best one is the natural one. Apples are as easy way to detoxify your liver and ensure its smooth functioning.
7. A healthy heart is a happy heart – Extensive research and studies have linked high intake of soluble fibre with a slower buildup of plaque that is rich in cholesterol in the arteries. A certain phenolic compound found in apple skins prevents the cholesterol getting into your system from getting solidified on the walls of your arteries. This even helps in prevention of gallstones that form when there is too much cholesterol content in your bile for it to remain in the liquid state.
8. Shine on, you crazy diamond – Apples, if you remember your middle school charts correctly, are also rich in Vitamin C along with antioxidants. This means they give you that glow all those face wash brands talk about. So instead of buying into commercials, add apples to your shopping list and let them work their magic against ageing and wrinkles.
9. Perfect pre-gym snack – People often wonder what is a good food option to have before gym and most of them end up having a banana, because most of them don’t know that an apple is a better option. Firstly, it gives you energy without adding the calories that a banana would. Secondly, and more importantly, it makes more oxygen available to the lungs, thus boosting endurance and in turn letting you work out for a longer time with lesser exhaustion.
10. Avoid the Big C – Cancer, the big C word that everyone fears today. Eating apples can actually prevent you from getting cancer. Yep, it’s true. The presence of flavonoids in apples destroys cancer cells. The thing to remember here though, is to eat it with its skin since that is where most of the flavonoids are present.
Pretty much a life saviour this fruit is, eh? So the next time someone uses this phrase, tell them why it keeps the doctors away. Till then, buy some apples and do yourself a favour.