An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Perhaps this is the most common saying we've heard, but do you know its origin?? Now, let's explore the secrets of apples together!
An apple a day?
According to historical records, "an apple a day" first appeared around 1860, from a folk proverb in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. The original saying was: "Eat an apple at bedtime, and you'll keep the doctor from earning his bread." In ancient England, bread represented one's livelihood, equivalent to the well-known Chinese saying "Bread will come."
By the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the saying evolved into "An apple a day, no doctor to pay" and "An apple a day, sends the doctor away." The current version is relatively "young," with its earliest recorded appearance being in 1922.
Apples do have excellent nutritional value. The ancient Romans and Anglo-Saxons already knew that apples were healthy. Legend even has it that ancient Indians included it in Ayurveda (traditional Indian herbal medicine) 1500 years ago. Modern medicine and research have also confirmed the many health benefits of apples. For example, a 2012 study by Ohio State University in the USA found that middle-aged people who eat an apple every day can significantly lower their "bad cholesterol"; a 2011 Dutch study, on the other hand, said that eating apples and pears helps prevent strokes.
"I'm not an apple, please call me a rich fruit"
Unlike in ancient times, when modern people choose to eat an apple a day, there's actually a life philosophy behind it. Because apples are available year-round, inexpensive, and most importantly: their nutritional composition is rich and very reliable.
· Basic Nutrition
Like other fruits, apples bring various health benefits. First, an apple contains zero cholesterol, fat, and salt, causing no health damage. At the same time, apples are extremely low in calories, only 80, making them a perfect choice for people on a diet. Additionally, an apple provides 22 grams of carbohydrates, which accounts for only 7% of the daily sugar intake, and these are complex carbohydrates that are very helpful for physical energy. Apples also supply various essential nutrients the body needs, such as dietary fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.
· Vitamin C
Vitamin C is listed separately because it is one of the core nutrients in apples, with many health benefits. One of its most important functions is protecting the immune system, enabling the body to resist many diseases, from eye diseases to cancer. It is also quite effective from a beauty perspective in preventing skin wrinkles.
· Pectin
Pectin is a soluble fiber that plays an important role in maintaining a healthy digestive system. It also helps the body reduce "bad" cholesterol, lower blood sugar and blood pressure. And apples, to use a common term in the health world: are rich in pectin.
· Quercetin
Quercetin has many different names, such as quercetol, oak flavone, etc. It belongs to the flavonoid category, so it helps prevent a wide variety of cancers, just as many as its names suggest, such as breast cancer and lung cancer. Additionally, it can effectively fight free radicals that cause age-related diseases, thus preventing Alzheimer's disease.
So, in terms of nutritional value, apples are by no means "poor" or "plain." Eating an apple a day certainly won't keep you away from doctors for your entire life (all living people need to see a doctor), but it can indeed bring significant health benefits and reduce the number of times you need to see a doctor.
Turns out we've been eating it wrong?!
Finally, let's get to the most crucial topic: how to eat an apple? Some people say, "Isn't that simple? Just wash it clean and gnaw away... Done..."
In fact, it's not that simple at all. For instance, the topic of whether to eat the apple peel could be debated for three days and nights without a conclusion.
The apple peel is the most nutritious part of the entire apple, especially its high content of antioxidants. Even accounting for the negative effects of pesticide residues or fruit wax, it doesn't offset the huge benefits brought by the apple peel.
So, as long as you have no psychological aversion to it and wash it correctly, you can eat the whole apple, core and all, leaving nothing behind.
Those with sharp eyes will notice: "Huh? Eating the peel is one thing, but what about the core?"
In fact, most normal people eat apples by biting around the core and throwing the rest away, or in rural areas, feeding it to pigs. Just like in the picture below.
It is said that "apple cores are poisonous," and there have even been reports of a one-year-old child feeling unwell after drinking apple juice. So some people have invented various tools for coring apples.
Some are specialized for coring, piercing the apple right through the center in one go; others are more multi-functional, with a swift cut, not only removing the core but also slicing the apple into several pieces, which is quite convenient.
However, apple-eating experts point out that the above-mentioned methods are all considered wrong or extremely wasteful.
Foreign research has found that this way of eating wastes 15% to 30% of the apple and its nutrients!
Statistical data shows that if you follow the "an apple a day" advice, you will eat about 100 jin (50 kg) of apples in a year. Conservatively calculating at 4 yuan per jin, you throw away at least a hundred-plus yuan every year. An American magazine even calculated that the economic loss caused by incorrect apple-eating methods in the United States reaches as high as 13.2 billion dollars annually...