I LOVE APPLES!!!

Fresh apples, apple pie, apple crisp, apples and yogurt, apple strudel….you get the picture.

I will take apple pie over chocolate mousse anyday. There is something about the combination of apples and cinammon. Yummmmmm. Just thinking about it makes me salivate.

The good news is that apples are really good for you! We’ve all heard the old adage: An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, right? Well, apparently, there is something to that. Apples are a great source of pectin, for example. Pectin is a soluble fiber which can actually lower both glucose levels in the blood AND cholesterol. Sound good, yet? Pectin has also been found to help the growth of the good bacteria in the digestive system, thus aiding digestion.

Apples also contain vitamin C. Vitamin C is an important antioxidant that helps to protect the cells in the body from damage, helps the body absorb iron and folate and also keeps blood vessels healthy. The other healthy vitamins/minerals present in an apple are potassium and calcium. Vitamin B, magnesium, iron and zinc are also present in small quantities.

Apples also contain polyphenols. Polyphenols are super-antioxidants that fight against free radicals (boo, hiss) in the body and have been shown to have antiviral and anticancer properties. A recent (animal) study shows that drinking apple juice may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease.

For the diet conscious: Apples are low calorie - about 80 calories to an apple. If
you eat the peel you also get a nice amount of fiber. And, you won’t find fat or sodium in apples!

Eating raw apples has an added advantage for your oral hygiene - it helps to clean your teeth and massage your gums.

Make sure you choose high quality apples. These should have a good, strong color and be crisp and juicy. Avoid mealy apples (as if you needed me to tell you hat - yuck) and apples with bruises or wrinkles. Try to refrigerate your apples so that they will remain crisp and juicy for longer. If you put the apples in a plastic bag with holes, this will keep a high level of moisture and delay decay.

My favorite apple is the golden delicious. Crispy, tart, sweet. Perfect.

I found a lovely, heart friendly recipe on www.missourifamilies.org. It’s very low in oil and it’s made with whole wheat flour. I’m going to make this cake soon (I just have to figure out how to hide from my children the fact that it’s healthy!!!):

Quick-Mix Applesauce Carrot Cake

Sift together:
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups white flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
Stir together and add to flour mixture, stirring until well blended:
3/4 cup applesauce
1/4 cup cooking oil
3 eggs, beaten slightly
3 cups coarsely grated carrots

Pour into a greased nine-inch tube pan and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350°F about one hour and ten minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into thickest part of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan five minutes on rack, then run knife round edge to loosen and turn onto wire rack to cool.

Now, I’m not encouraging you all to eat apple cake. Have at least one fresh apple a day for good heart health but, hey, just because we’re looking out for our hearts doesn’t mean we can’t have a treat now and then, no? Ya’ gotta live!

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