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“An apple a day” might seem like overkill, but America’s most popular fruit — currently weighing down branches in orchards everywhere — is packed with health benefits. Here’s what nutrition experts have to say about apples, plus some recipes from New York Times Cooking to help you eat more of them all year long.
They’re good for your gut.
Apples are rich in dietary fiber, a type of complex carbohydrate that our body isn’t capable of digesting on its own. That fiber acts as food for many of the bacteria species that reside in our guts. These bacteria have a powerful impact on our health, affecting everything from cancer risk, to weight, to mood.
A diet high in fruits and vegetables, including apples, has been shown to increase the number of beneficial bacteria and decrease the number of harmful bacteria in people’s guts, said Marie van der Merwe, a nutrition scientist at the University of Memphis. That could lead to better overall health, Dr. van der Merwe said.
In addition, apples themselves contain a host of beneficial bacteria. (While this is true for all fruits and vegetables, one study found that apples have a greater variety of bacteria than most.) When you eat an apple, some of those bacteria may become part of your microbiome. The apple is “acting like a probiotic in addition to acting like a prebiotic,” Dr. van der Merwe explained.
They’re heart healthy.
Apples have high amounts of pectin, a dietary fiber that can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels. In a 2012 study, 160 postmenopausal women ate either 75 grams of dried apples (equal to about two medium sized apples) or prunes every day for one year. After six months, the women who consumed apples experienced a 13 percent drop in their total cholesterol and a 24 percent drop in “bad” LDL cholesterol, while the women who ate prunes experienced a 3.5 percent drop in total cholesterol and an 8 percent drop in LDL cholesterol.
Apples are also one of the biggest dietary sources of polyphenols — tiny, health-promoting molecules that plants produce to defend themselves from the elements. Certain polyphenols in apples, called flavonoids, are particularly good at stimulating the production of nitric oxide, a gas that flows through our blood vessels, causing them to dilate. That’s good for blood pressure, said Nicola Bondonno, a postdoctoral researcher at the Danish Cancer Institute who has coauthored several studies on apples.
They can reduce chronic inflammation.
Polyphenols in apples can reduce inflammation — and, in turn, possibly help reduce disease risk. Researchers published a study in August that analyzed health data from more than 119,000 people collected over nearly 20 years, including records of everything they ate over a 24-hour period on five separate occasions. The study found that those who reported eating more than two apples a day in the meal logs had a 30 percent lower chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease later on. “We saw benefits even at just half a serving a day,” said Aedin Cassidy, the chair of nutrition and preventive medicine at Queen’s University Belfast and a study co-author. The study found that the association between apples and C.O.P.D. risk was also linked to a reduction in inflammatory markers.
How to Enjoy Them
Apples are most nutritious when you leave the skin on, Dr. Bondonno said: After all, it’s the skin that contains those powerful polyphenols (and much of the fiber). She added that you should wash apples thoroughly before eating them to avoid pesticide exposure.
In general, a darker color apple will have a richer variety of polyphenols, Dr. van der Merwe said. But more important than selecting the deepest red apple you can find is eating different apple varieties, so you can absorb as many different polyphenols as possible, she said.
Apples are a perfect food all on their own, of course. But these recipes from NYT Cooking will help you work even more into your diet.
1. Apples With Honey and Crushed Walnuts
Created as a crunchy take on the traditional Passover dish haroseth, this tangy salad is a welcome bit of freshness on any table, any time of year.
2. Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples and Greens
In this comforting one-pot dinner, you get a triple dose of apple — apple cider, cider vinegar and apple slices — alongside chicken and kale.
3. Bircher Muesli
Milk-soaked oats are naturally sweetened with grated apple. You can scatter some more on top for crunch.
4. Fall Salad With Apples, Cheddar and Crispy Sage
This light green salad features the unbeatable combination of sweet-tart apples and sharp, salty Cheddar. To turn it into a full meal, add toasted pecans.
5. Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Firm apples become nearly jammy when they’re roasted alongside sweet potato spears. They’re just as good cooked with carrots or parsnips.
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