Delicious and crunchy apple fruit is one of the most popular fruit favored by health conscious, fitness freaks who believe in “health is wealth”. This wonderful fruit jam-packed with rich phyto-nutrients that in the true sense are indispensable for optimal health. The antioxidants in apple have many health promoting and disease prevention properties; thus justifying the adage “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”.
Apples are obtained from the medium sized tree belonging to the rosaceae family. The tree is originated in the mineral rich mountain ranges of Kazakhstan, and is now being cultivated in many parts of the world.
Apple fruit features oval or pear shape; and the outer skin has different colors depending upon the cultivar type. Internally, the juicy pulp has off-white to cream in color and has mix of mild sweet and tart taste.
The seeds are inedible because of their bitter taste.
Health benefits of apple
• Delicious and crunchy apple fruit is one of the popular fruit that contain an impressive list of essential nutrients, which are required for normal growth and development and overall nutritional well-being.
• Apples are low in calories; contain no saturated fats or cholesterol, but rich in dietary fiber which helps prevent absorption of dietary LDL cholesterol in the gut. The dietary fibers also help protect the mucous membrane of the colon from exposure to toxic substances by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon.
• Apple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C and beta carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
• Apples are rich in antioxidant phyto-nutrients flavonoids and polyphenols. The important flavonoids in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2. Apples are also good in tartaric acid that gives tart flavor to them. These compounds help body protect from deleterious effects of free radicals.
• The fruit is a good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6).
• Apple also contains small amount of minerals like potassium and calcium. Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus counters the bad influences of sodium.
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