7 types of apples and how to cook them to take advantage of their benefits

benefits of apples

1. Apples help you lose weight

Whole apples help lose weight. if you eat a medium-sized apple as a starter, About 15 minutes before the main meal, a satiating effect occurs and energy intake is reduced by an average of 60 calories.

Compote and juice do not produce comparable results.

In a Brazilian study published in the journal Nutrition it was found that consuming apples (and also pears) leads to weight loss in overweight people.

400 women were divided into three groups. One group ate a serving of oatmeal cookies three times a day in addition to their normal meals (they expected an effect due to the dietary fiber they contain), the second an apple three times a day and the third a pear three times a day, each for 12 weeks.

The apple and pear groups each lost 1.2 kilograms, the oatmeal cookie group lost nothing. The two fruit groups also had healthier blood sugar levels than the oat group after 12 weeks.

2. They strengthen the heart

Apples have been linked to a lower risk of heart disease.

One reason may be that apples contain soluble fiber, the kind that can help reduce cholesterol levels in blood. They also contain polyphenols, which have antioxidant effects. Many of these are concentrated in the skin.

Apple flavonoids may help prevent heart disease by reduce blood pressure and oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

3. They protect the liver

Apples and cloudy apple juice are a kind of protective elixir for the liver. thanks to the properties of polyphenols, especially oligomeric procyanidins.

Polyphenols also reduce the oxidative stress and protect mitochondria (the powerhouses of our cells) of the damage that free radicals can cause them.

At the same time, the apples help the intestinal flora to maintain a healthy balancewhich in turn soothes the liver.

4. They are good for the intestines

The impact of apples on the intestines can be one of the main reasons why apples have such good effects on health.

Apples favor the good state of the intestinal microbiota, which in turn is essential for the functioning of immunity at the digestive level.

What makes the apple so beneficial for the intestine is probably the combination of flavonoids, polyphenols and fiber (pectin).

Studies have shown that after eating an apple, the amount of short-chain fatty acids in the intestine increases, a sign that gut bacteria converted the fiber in the apple into those fatty acids.

Short-chain fatty acids are food for the cells of the intestinal mucosa, which plays an essential role in the absorption of nutrients and also has a barrier function against toxins and allergens.

5. They keep the brain healthy

People who eat apples or drink cloudy juice daily may reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Apple juice achieves, according to research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, inhibit the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain, one of the disorders associated with the disease.

Even if Alzheimer’s disease is already diagnosed, regular consumption of apples can lead to an improvement in the behavior of sufferers.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (United States) found that consuming a quarter of a liter of apple juice per day (divided into two servings and drunk over four weeks) in people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s disease improved their behavior and psychological symptoms by nearly 30%. In particular, fears, nervousness and delusions improved.

How do you eat apples, whole or in juice?

The content of active substances in apples varies greatly depending on the variety, the degree of maturation or the time that has passed since the harvest.

It is advisable to eat whole apples, because most of the polyphenols, flavonoids, vitamins, and fiber are found in the skin. When juicing many of the valuable components are lost.

It is also better to always eat apples raw, so do not consume them out of habit in the form of puree or compote.

If you choose the juice, it must be unfiltered, that is, cloudy. Choose non-concentrated organic juice, since it has been processed and treated as little as possible and, therefore, It has more active ingredients.

Of course, it is even better if you make the juice at home with a pressurized juicer. Commercial juices are pasteurized and therefore have suffered loss of nutrients and phytochemicals.

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