AN APPLE A DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY - OR DOES IT?

Once upon a time there was little in the fruit bowl other than an apple, a pear, an orange and a hand of bananas. Occasionally there might be a bunch of grapes and when in season there could be some luscious strawberries! Things have changed hugely, giving us the opportunity to select all manner of fruits (both locally-grown or from overseas) from the supermarket shelves or our nearest green grocers shop. It’s so hard to choose!

Has the humble apple given way to the rest of these deliciously-appealing fruits? And… what makes the apple any different from many of the rest when it comes to ‘keeping the doctor away’! Well firstly, it’s about pectin, a type of soluble fibre that works by binding to fatty substances in the digestive tract (including cholesterol and toxins), promoting their elimination and lowering disease-causing inflammation.

Additionally, apples are ranked second only to cranberries among all types of fruit for their total concentration of phenolic compounds - beneficial plant compounds with antioxidant properties that protect against damaging free radicals (unstable atoms that can damage cells, causing illness and ageing).

Of special note… the pectin in apples is largely in the skin. Whilst other fruits provide fair to good levels of this very beneficial substance and many can be eaten ‘with the skin on’ but apples and pears are are by far the richest source. So it makes sense to include these in your and your family’s lunchbox and always make sure they are in the fruit bowl - and wherever possible ‘keep the doctor away’!

Here are a few of my recipe suggestions where apples and pears are included. Just click on the images to access the recipes.