TRUE OR FALSE: “AN APPLE A DAY…”

By Stefanie Cassetto

This week we are getting back to the basics of healthy living. In order to live a longer, better life—healthy habits are a must. Good exercise, eating foods that are nutritious, and sleeping all play an important part in increasing the longevity of life.

When it comes to health, one of the most familiar quotations of all time—“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”—turns out to be more than just another idiom passed down through the generations. Though it seems like an obvious choice, apples are a treasure trove of valuable nutrients and key to adding years to your life.

Increasing your life span can start with simple changes, like what foods you decide to eat on a regular basis. Adding apples to your daily routine as a snack, a compliment to a meal instead of chips, or even as the star of the show is a great way to kick up the nutritional value of your meal and get in the necessary servings of fruit each day.

This crisp white-fleshed fruit is a staple found in many lunchboxes and is a good source of pectin, a natural fiber that has many health benefits. Apples are loaded with phytochemicals, quercetin, tannins, and antioxidants known as polyphenols. Yes. That is a lot of long words…that are hard to pronounce. But those words mean that apples have a long list of health benefits valuable to each one of us.

Eating this bright and shiny fruit boasting red, green and yellow colors means you are arming yourself with anti-oxidant properties that protect against lung cancer and lower the risk of asthma. Apples also help to improve the health of the bowels, lowers cholesterol—providing cardiovascular benefits, reduces the risk of cancer, helps to prevent hair loss, and aids in slowing the aging process by fighting debilitating conditions like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

The skin of the apple is where much of the nutritional goodness lives. So make sure you take every opportunity to leave the skin on to get the most health benefits out of every bite of apple you take. Be careful, though, to wash you apples thoroughly. They are among the 12 foods on which pesticide residue is most commonly found.

Apples can be added to salads, served as a snack, or baked into delicious breads or desserts. However you choose to eat your apples…just remember that old saying—“An apple a day…”—well you know the rest.

Online References
http://www.livestrong.com/article/98279-diets-longevity/
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=15
http://health.yahoo.net/experts/drmao/apples-live-longer-fruit

APPLE/FENNEL SLAW WITH TUNA

Source for Recipe: http://glutenfreegirl.com/apple-fennel-slaw/

Ingredients

  • 1 large fennel bulb, stalks removed, fronds reserved
  • kosher salt and cracked black pepper
  • zest and juice from ½ lemon
  • 2 green apples, quartered, cored, and sliced in any way you choose
  • 1/3 cup toasted walnut halves
  • 1 can white tuna

 

Making the salad. Slice the fennel bulb as thinly as you can. Add the salt and pepper and toss the fennel around. Add the apple slices, walnuts, and tuna. Toss.

VINAIGRETTE

Ingredients

  • juice from ½ lemon (just use the other half!)
  • 1 ½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1 ½ tablespoons sesame oil
  • 4 tablespoons grapeseed oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

 

Making the vinaigrette. Whisk together the lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and mustard. Combine the sesame and grapeseed oils, then drizzle them slowly into the acidic ingredients, whisking as you go. Taste, then season to your taste.

Dress the salad with the vinaigrette and eat. Feeds 4.

X