Apples Are Woven Into Our Culture—And Taste Great Too!

Everyone, it seems, loves the apple whether it was the Beatles naming their recording studio after it in 1968 or Steve Jobs, who named the fledgling start-up he co-founded with a couple of his friends in his parents’ garage in 1976.

Long before then, the delicious fruit had worked its way into our culture and history as a symbol of knowledge but also of temptation. The classic apple tale comes from the Bible, when Eve bites into the forbidden fruit and then, realizing her mistake, tempts Adam into taking a bite as well.

The brothers Grimm, when they set out to write Snow White, clearly had that duality in mind, with a poisoned apple offered by the Queen to Snow White.

An apple shows up again when William Tell and his son were caught in the fight to defend their country from invading Austrians. They were promised freedom if the elder Tell could use a bow and arrow to shoot an apple off his son’s head—which he promptly did.

An apple also stars in Isaac Newton’s “discovery” of gravity, when an apple fell from the tree not sideways but straight down to hit his head.

Of course, apples are also wonderfully edible. Crisp, portable, and loaded with health perks, apples are at their peak right now, with harvest season typically running from late August through November.

And boy, do we love our apples! Recent USDA numbers say that Americans annually consume an average of nine pounds of fresh apples, nearly two gallons of apple juice, and 3.1 pounds of canned, dried, and frozen apples.

But here’s the real question: Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? In a study with that exact title published in The Journal of Food Science, four South African nutrition scientists sort of said, “Couldn’t hurt,” and then went on to list the known benefits of Eve’s forbidden fruit.

Top of the list: Studies show that apples’ antioxidants and dietary fiber reduce inflammation and appear as well to reduce the risk of heart disease by improving cholesterol levels. Ditto for diabetes because the apple’s peel slows digestion, leading to lower blood-sugar levels while acting as a prebiotic, an ingredient that promotes the growth and health of the “good” gut bacteria living naturally in the gut.

At the same time, two of apple’s minerals—potassium and calcium—are linked to a lower risk of osteoporosis. Best of all on a warm summer or autumn day, with about five ounces of water per medium-size fruit, apples hydrate the body.

Naturally, there can be downsides as well. Some among us may be sensitive to the protein in the apple. For them, eating a raw apple may trigger oral reactions, most commonly itching and tingling in the mouth and throat, which might progress to swollen tongue and lips plus hives and rashes. Some data indicate that apple juice may inactivate certain antihistamines, anti-hypertensives, and anti-asthmatics. But the real drama lies in the seeds, which—like apricot, almond, cherry, plum, lemon, peach, and nectarine seeds—contain amygdalin, a compound that converts to cyanide in the stomach. Simply swallowing one seed is not a problem: The seed must be crushed, i.e., chewed, for the amygdalin to escape and do its dirt.

All that aside, the good news is that a single fresh apple helps to meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans advisory: that adults aim for at least two servings of fruit per day. And, doing that, one average medium-size seven-ounce fruit serves up the following nutrients: Calories: 95; Protein: 0.5 grams (g); Total fat: 0.3 g; Carbs 25 g; Dietary Fiber: 4.4 g; Calcium: 10.9 milligrams (mg); Iron: 0.2 mg; Magnesium: 9.1 mg; Phosphorus: 20 mg; Potassium: 195 mg; Vitamin C: 8.4 mg; Folate (Vitamin B9): 5.5 mcg.