A Simple New Year’s Resolution

Eat An Apple A Day

By Amy McGuire

The apple has been a celebrated fruit since the beginning of time. Long before the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced the four major food groups with the appropriate servings in the USDA food pyramid, people throughout the world were able to recognize the healthy attributes of the apple. The popular 19th century quotation, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” has been repeated numerous times throughout the world for decades.

OK, so what’s so great about apples anyway? And why is the apple such a revered fruit? Why should we eat one apple each day? Let us examine some of the many reasons.

First, a little background information about the almighty apple.

As one of the most popular fruits in the world today, there are at least 7,500 different varieties of apples, from the Granny Smith to the Red Delicious. Apples vary in shape, color, texture, firmness, crispness, acidity, juiciness, sweetness, nutritional value and harvesting period. Whether you start with Adam and Eve or the anthropological data on Stone Age man in Europe, the apple was there. Archeologists even found a fossilized imprint of an apple seed from the Neolithic period in England. Greek and Roman mythology refer to apples as symbols of love and beauty. According to legend, the only time Johnny Appleseed got sick was at his deathbed at the age of 80. William Tell gained fame by shooting an apple off his son’s head at the order of invaders of Switzerland.

Yes, the apple indeed carries great historical value, and high nutritional value as well. If apples were packaged with a nutrition label, you would know that a medium sized apple is only 80 calories, has zero fat, zero cholesterol and zero sodium. Apples deliver vitamins A, B1, B2 and C, as well as boron and calcium that are crucial to maintaining strong bones and preventing osteoporosis.

Today, medical practitioners recognize the apple’s abundant quantity of fiber. Most Americans only consume about 12 grams of fiber each day. However, in order to maintain proper digestive and bowel function, 25 grams of fiber daily is recommended. Fiber cleanses our internal organs and arteries like a street cleaner rids our streets of trash and debris. Fiber aids in the digestion of fat, reduces high cholesterol and regulates blood sugar. Apples are a wonder food for people with coronary artery disease, as well as diabetics because fiber can slow glucose absorption.

Drinking eight glasses of water a day is also a way that we can clean our insides…sort of like an internal shower. Fruit, such as the apple, is high in water content. Fruit and water help jump start weight loss and cleanse toxic cells back to health.

An apple a day with eight glasses of water can boost your metabolism, strengthen your immune system, lower your risk of illness and promote better overall health. Yet, more good reasons to eat apples.

Eating an apple along with drinking water is a very simple resolution to drive your personal health goals for the New Year. By the end of the year, you will find yourself asking, “which variety of apple should I eat?” as opposed to “why should we eat one apple each day?”

For a variety of reasons, eat an apple a day. Until next time, be well.

Amy McGuire, CNC, PFS, is a Certified Nutritional Consultant (CNC), Physical Fitness Specialist (PFS), professional healthcare journalist, wife, mother of three young boys Amy earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism in 1987. She is an active member of several healthcare and journalist associations including the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and the American Association of Nutritional Consultants (AANC). Copyright © all rights reserved. www.AmyTheAppleLady.com

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