Organic

Power Food: Apples

by

ApplesIn the western hemisphere there is an old saying, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Though this expression seems old, outdated, and simplistic; there is some truth to it. Apples have quite the diverse set of health benefits and health promoting properties that make it a mean power food!

Components of Apples

Surprisingly, one of the most beneficial components of an apple is its skin. The skin of the apple contains approximately 50% of the insoluble fiber and vitamin C content of an apple. In addition to containing vitamin C and insoluble fiber, apples also contain a healthy dose of antioxidants, quercetin (great for allergies and inflammation), pectin (helps prevent cholesterol from building in blood vessels), and B vitamins.

Therapeutic Potential

Based on the components listed above, apples may have some of the following health benefits (most of which have been researched and proven):

  • Reduced risk of lung cancer by 50% with regular apple consumption
  • Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease by 13-22%
  • Reduced risk of stroke
  • Reduced LDL (Bad) cholesterol by 23% in individuals who ate an apple every day for six months
  • Increased HDL (Good) cholesterol by 4% in individuals who ate an apple every day for six months
  • Reduced risk of asthma
  • Improved lung functioning
  • Reduced risk of type II diabetes
  • Reduced blood glucose levels
  • May inhibit cholera toxin (still being explored)
  • Increased potential to lose weight with consumption of three apples per day (this is due to the insoluble fiber mentioned earlier)

Storing and Processing

With many fruits and vegetables, storing them for any length of time decreases the nutritional impact that it can have. However, apples can be stored for 60 days with little to no impact on their nutritional quality. Research has shown that after 60 days of cold storage, apples had the same antioxidant potential as they did when compared to day 1. This trend is not consistent across different apple types though. For example, a red delicious apple will retain its nutritional quality far longer than a golden delicious apple.

The processing of apples and the impact on their nutritional benefits rests mainly in whether the peal is used. Ultimately, the apples will be more beneficial if the peal is intact. In addition, when the pulp of the apple is disposed of, for example in juicing, much of the potential health benefits are lost. When an apple is juiced, it has only 10% of the antioxidant potential of a whole apple that is eaten. Does this mean that juicing an apple is not good for you? Of course not. Adding an apple to your juice can add a nice flavour, it simply may not provide as much of a health benefit as you would think.

What about pesticides? 

Much like other fruits and vegetables, pesticides are commonly used on apples. Some would argue that this is to a greater extent on apples than other fruits. Ultimately, this does bring up concerns about eating them and how to best clean them. The best way to clean an apple is probably the simplest. All that is necessary is using water and rubbing the skin of the apple. Because there are only low levels of pesticide residue on the surface of the apples, this method of cleaning the apple keeps many beneficial properties of the apple intact while still removing majority of the pesticides from the surface. However, for those more sensitive to chemicals, a more thorough approach may be needed.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, contact Elisha Cook via the contact portion of this website.

Sources:

http://www.livescience.com/44686-apple-nutrition-facts.html

http://www.biomedcentral.com/content/pdf/1475-2891-3-5.pdf%C3%AF%C2%BF%C2%BD%C3%83%C5%93

Healthy Shopping

by

Beautiful young woman shopping for fruits and vegetables in prodMaking healthy grocery shopping decisions can be hard, especially on a tight budget. There are ways that you can make healthier food choices when you are shopping for your groceries though.

  1. Shop the Perimeter

Shopping the perimeter of the store is just that: shopping the outside sections of the store. The reason why this is suggested is because there tends to be more whole foods on the perimeter of the store and less products with high contents of sugar and preservatives. By keeping a conscious effort to try and avoid the middle sections if possible, you will be able to prepare meals that might be more nutritionally valuable.

  1. No Coupons

There have been studies produced showing the negative impact that couponing can have on your health. This is because what tends to be promoted with coupons are foods that are not the healthiest choice.

  1. Shop Sales

This may seem obvious, but shopping sales allows you to save some extra money, especially if you might be choosing some healthier products that might cost more.

  1. Organic when you can

Ideally, choosing organic sources of products is more beneficial than your standard products, especially when it comes to meat. An area where you should avoid compromising on this, if possible, is with meats. Non-organic meats tend to contain hormones and possible preservatives that are less than ideal.

  1. Frozen is okay

When you cannot afford to get organic, or when it is not available, standard products are completely acceptable to choose. This even includes buying frozen vegetables/fruits. Basically it comes down to any fruit or vegetable is better than none. So if you need to purchase frozen vegetables or fruits to save a couple extra dollars, then do so! Buying canned fruits and vegetables is fine as well, but it is important to make sure you are reading the label, and avoiding those that are packed with syrups or a lot of sugar.

  1. Plan meals in advance

Planning your meals for the week will help keep you focused on what you are really there to get while grocery shopping. By doing this, you avoid purchasing products that you see and want, but do not really need.

  1. Seasonal When Possible

Finally, buying seasonal fruits and vegetables is a good way to save some money (because it tends to be on sale), support local farmers, and purchase foods that might have more nutritional value (because the produce was more recently harvested, spent less time traveling, and so has retained more of its nutritional quality).

Some of these ideas are not necessarily cost effective, but, by adopting some of these habits, and keeping these things in mind while shopping, it may help you to choose healthier, higher quality foods.

Have you benefitted from reading this blog? Know someone that would benefit as well? Share, Like, Comment, or Tweet this article, and let me know what you think.

Some of the information provided above may not be appropriate for everyone, please consult with your doctor before trying any of the above. If you are interested in Naturopathic Medicine and wanting a different approach to your health care needs, please book an appointment with Elisha Cook at the RSNC today and let me help you achieve your health goals.