BENEFITS
A fresh apple is the ideal, healthy snack - easy to carry, filling,
juicy and refreshing. Some varieties are a good source of vitamin C,
which is an antioxidant and helps to maintain the immune system.
Apples are also relatively low in calories and contain a high level of
fructose. This simple sugar, which is sweeter than sucrose (main
component of cane sugar) is metabolized slowly and so helps to control
blood sugar levels.
OTHER USES
In herbal medicine, ripe, uncooked apples have traditionally been given
to treat constipation, while the stewed fruit can be eaten for
diarrhoea and gastroenteritis.
Apples are also used in poultices for skin inflammations.
Dried apples are eaten as a snack. Apple slices are exposed to the
fumes of burning sulphur to prevent them from browning, then dried in
the sun on wire trays.
As moisture is lost, natural sugars become concentrated, which is why
athletes value dried apples as a source of carbohydrate that is quickly
converted to energy.
Dried apples contain six times more calories than fresh ones. They are
high in fibre and moderate source of iron. But lost their vitamin C
during drying process.
Apples also helps other fruits eg apricots to ripen by leaving them together in a paper bag for two to four days.
CHOOSING APPLES
* Firm to the touch
* No brown bruises
* Large apples are more likely to be overripe
* Out of season apples will have to be stored in a cool environment
where oxygen balance has been chemically lowered. This halts the
natural maturing processes, so they can be kept for several months
without going soft. When the fruit is again exposed to normal
temperatures and oxygen levels - on the supermarket shelves, it
continues to mature and may quickly go soft.
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