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Apples are full of vitamins and antioxidants. Research has shown that they are good for your cardiovascular system and can even help lower bad cholesterol, boost exercise endurance, and help you lose weight. They are relatively high in fiber and low in calories. So an apple makes the perfect snack.
Research has shown that they are good for your cardiovascular system and can even help lower bad cholesterol, boost exercise endurance, and help you lose weight.
Apple Health Benefits
Does “an apple a day keeps the doctor away?” Well, research shows that it sure might! Let’s look at some of the many ways that apples are good for your health.
First, to maximize the benefits you get from apples, you should eat them raw (not cooked or baked). And you should always eat them with the skin, because 2/3 of the fiber and many of the healthy vitamins and antioxidants are in the skin or just below it. But since apples may have wax or pesticide residue on them, you should always wash them well before eating.
Cardiovascular Health
One way to avoid the doctor is to keep your heart healthy. And apples can help. A University of Florida study found that women who ate dried apples every day for a year (about 75g per day) had a 23% decrease in bad cholesterol (LDL) and a 4% rise in good cholesterol (HDL). And researchers suspect that eating fresh apples while have even better effects. That’s good news for your cardiovascular system.
Pectin, the soluble fiber found in apples, is also good for your heart because it helps prevent the build up of cholesterol on the walls of your blood vessels. More good news for your cardio health.
Losing Weight
The same University of Florida study also found weight loss benefits in apples. On average, the women in the study lost over three pounds each. Researchers suspect the weight loss was due to the pectin (soluble fiber) in the apples that helps make you feel full and helps you eat less. Three pounds doesn’t sound like much, but since most people add at least 2-3 a year to their weight, losing three instead of gaining three sounds like a great bonus.
Apples are a smart choice when you are reaching for a snack.
Exercise Endurance
Several studies have found that eating an apple before your workout could help you delay fatigue and boost your endurance. Apples contain quercetin, an antioxidant, which has been shown to improve endurance by making more oxygen available to your lungs. In one study at the University of South Carolina, researchers gave quercetin to healthy and active but untrained (non-professional athlete) adults and tested their bicycle endurance. They found that on average, the participants’ maximum oxygen consumption increased by 3.9% and they could ride more than 13% further before they felt fatigued.
Digestive Tract Health
We all need insoluble fiber to help keep our digestive tract healthy and moving. And most of us don’t get enough. Here again, apples can help out because they are considered a good source of dietary fiber.
How about Calories?
A medium apple has about 95 calories, although the calorie count can really vary by apple size. For more info see our How Many Calories in an Apple page. But don’t worry too much about the calories. Apples make a great snack because they don’t have too many calories and their fiber content will fill make you feel more full for longer. Plus, you get all the health benefits!
Apple Nutrition Facts
Apples contain all kinds of healthy nutrients. They have both soluble and insoluble fiber, Vitamin C, and many other nutrients and antioxidants that will benefit your health.
See the following chart for the full nutritional info for various sizes of apples.
| Nutrition Facts | Apple Size | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Extra Small | Small | Medium | Large | Slices | Quartered & Chopped | |
| *Apples vary: sizes and corresponding weights are approximate. **Data based on the weight shown in grams for fuji, gala, granny smith, golden delicious, and red delicious apple varieties. See References and Sources for more info. |
||||||
| Measurement | 2½ inches (6.5 cm) | 2¾ inches (7 cm) | 3 inches (7.5 cm) | 3¼ inches (8.5 cm) | 1 cup | 1 cup |
| Weight* | 3.6 oz (101g) | 5.3 oz (149g) | 6.4 oz (182g) | 7.9 oz (223g) | 3.8 oz (109g) | 4.4 oz (125g) |
| The Basics (proximates) | ||||||
| Total Calories (% DV)** | 53 (3%) | 77 (4%) | 95 (5%) | 116 (6%) | 57 (3%) | 65 (3%) |
| Calories from Fat (% DV) | 2 g (0%) | 2 g (0%) | 3 g (1%) | 3 g (1%) | 2 g (0%) | 2 g (0%) |
| Protein (% DV) | 0.3 g (1%) | 0.4 g (1%) | 0.5 g (1%) | 0.6 g (1%) | 0.3 g (1%) | 0.3 g (1%) |
| Total Carbohydrates (% DV) | 14 g (5%) | 21 g (7%) | 25 g (8%) | 31 g (10%) | 15 g (5%) | 17 g (6%) |
| Fiber (% DV) | 2 g (10%) | 4 g (14%) | 4 g (17%) | 5 g (21%) | 3 g (10%) | 3 g (12%) |
| Sugar | 10 g | 15 g | 19 g | 23 g | 11 g | 13 g |
| Total Fat (% DV) | 0.2 g (0%) | 0.3 g (0%) | 0.3 g (1%) | 0.4 g (1%) | 0.2 g (0%) | 0.2 g (0%) |
| Saturated Fat (% DV) | 0.0 g (0%) | 0.0 g (0%) | 0.1 g (0%) | 0.1 g (0%) | 0.0 g (0%) | 0.0 g (0%) |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g | 0.0 g |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g | 0.1 g |
| Cholesterol (% DV) | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) | 0 mg (0%) |
| Water | 86 g | 127 g | 156 g | 191 g | 93 g | 107 g |
| Minerals | ||||||
| Calcium (% DV) | 6 mg (1%) | 9 mg (1%) | 11 mg (1%) | 13 mg (1%) | 7 mg (1%) | 8 mg (1%) |
| Iron (% DV) | 0.1 mg (1%) | 0.2 mg (1%) | 0.2 mg (1%) | 0.3 mg (1%) | 0.1 mg (1%) | 0.2 mg (1%) |
| Magnesium (% DV) | 5 mg (1%) | 7 mg (2%) | 9 mg (2%) | 11 mg (3%) | 5 mg (1%) | 6 mg (2%) |
| Phosphorus (% DV) | 11 mg (1%) | 16 mg (2%) | 20 mg (2%) | 25 mg (2%) | 12 mg (1%) | 14 mg (1%) |
| Potassium (% DV) | 108 mg (2%) | 159 mg (3%) | 195 mg (4%) | 239 mg (5%) | 117 mg (2%) | 134 mg (3%) |
| Sodium (% DV) | 1 mg (0%) | 1 mg (0%) | 2 mg (0%) | 2 mg (0%) | 1 mg (0%) | 1 mg (0%) |
| Vitamins | ||||||
| Vitamin C (% DV) | 5 mg (8%) | 7 mg (11%) | 8 mg (14%) | 10 mg (17%) | 5 mg (8%) | 6 mg (10%) |
| Niacin (% DV) | 0.1 mg (0%) | 0.1 mg (1%) | 0.2 mg (1%) | 0.2 mg (1%) | 0.1 mg (0%) | 0.1 mg (1%) |
| Vitamin B-6 (% DV) | 0.0 mg (2%) | 0.1 mg (3%) | 0.1 mg (4%) | 0.1 mg (5%) | 0.0 mg (2%) | 0.1 mg (3%) |
| Folate (% DV) | 3 µg (1%) | 4 µg (1%) | 5 µg (1%) | 7 µg (2%) | 3 µg (1%) | 4 µg (1%) |
| Vitamin A (% DV) | 55 IU (1%) | 80 IU (2%) | 98 IU (2%) | 120 IU (2%) | 59 IU (1%) | 68 IU (1%) |
| Vitamin E (% DV) | 0.2 IU (1%) | 0.3 IU (1%) | 0.3 IU (1%) | 0.4 IU (1%) | 0.2 IU (1%) | 0.2 IU (1%) |
| Vitamin K (% DV) | 2 IU (3%) | 3 IU (4%) | 4 IU (5%) | 5 IU (6%) | 2 IU (3%) | 3 IU (3%) |
A Great Snack Choice
It should be clear by now that apples are a fantastic choice when you are reaching for a snack. They make a great afternoon pick-me-up to tide you over until dinner. Their are also many great salad recipes that include fresh apples — a surprisingly yummy (and healthy!) combo. Or, have an apple for a healthy dessert to fight off the munchies after lunch or dinner.
No matter how or when you do it, you can’t go wrong reaching for an apple!
What do you think about apples? Let us know using the comment form below…
References & Sources: (show)(hide)
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- “The dietary flavonoid quercetin increases VO(2max) and endurance capacity.”
- International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism.
- 20.1 (Feb 2010): 56-62.
- Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics Publishers.
- Div. of Applied Physiology. Dept. of Exercise Science. Arnold School of Public Health. University of South Carolina, Columbia.
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- “Comparative effects of dried plum and dried apple on bone in postmenopausal women.”
- The British Journal of Nutrition.
- 106.6 (Sep 2011): 923-30.
- New York: Cambridge University Press.
- Department of Nutrition. Food and Exercise Sciences. Florida State University, Tallahassee.
-
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 24.
- Washington: GPO,
- 30 March 2012.
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- “Apples and More.”
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. University of Illinois Extension. Urban Programs Resource Network.
- Web. 2 May 2012.
- http://urbanext.illinois.edu/apples/.