DOES APPLE A DAY REALLY KEEP THE DOCTOR AWAY!?
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“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Is it true? Or is it just another myth that’s survived all the bench points of science and wisdom? Should we really take it as seriously as it is framed? This generation old saying that we’ve been passing on, is it really worth it or do we need to come up with a change for this little thing too? C’mon let’s explore a little on this celebrity fruit and find for ourselves!
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| Credit: Daily Sabha |
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| Credit: getty images |
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| Credit: getty images |
As in my opinion, I feel apples are a
little overrated and given too much of a fame than it actually deserves.
Talking about their basic nutritional value, they are high in fibre, vitamin C
and some anti-oxidants. However, for most part of it, it is all moisture. Thus,
they are not as nutritious as their popularity claims. There are many other
fruits out there that are much healthier and nutritious as compared to apples.
Now, let us talk nutrition for
sometime. Given below is a chart of nutritional fact about apples. As we can
see, they are just rich in vitamin C and minerals like potassium. And for most
part of it they are just composed of a lot of carbs and water.
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| Credit: nutrition-and-you.com |
In comparison, let’s see some nutritional value of few
other fruits and then let's decide for ourselves.
Guava
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Guavas are very rich in protein. They are also high
in vitamin C, vitamin A and folate. They are high in fibre and minerals like
potassium.
Now, you must be struck with the question that well all these nutrition are also present in apple. Well, what you need to focus here is the amount per serving provided by the two. The nutritional weight of guava is way heavier than apple. For example, vitamin C content of guava is 228.3 mg whereas, that of apple is just 4.6 mg. However, this is just one of the comparisons. You can compare many other nutrients from the chart of nutritional value of guava given below.
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| Credit: nutrition-and-you.com |
Now, you must be struck with the question that well all these nutrition are also present in apple. Well, what you need to focus here is the amount per serving provided by the two. The nutritional weight of guava is way heavier than apple. For example, vitamin C content of guava is 228.3 mg whereas, that of apple is just 4.6 mg. However, this is just one of the comparisons. You can compare many other nutrients from the chart of nutritional value of guava given below.
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| Credit: FoodStruct.com |
Mango
Mango is another most commonly eaten fruit in India and hey it is
also far more nutritious than apples. C’mon let’s do some nutrition maths here.
Mangoes are richer than apples in protein, iron, magnesium, calcium, lipids and food energy. And they have less fructose content than apples. However, due to the higher fibre content of apples they are recommended for type II diabetics. Studies showed that some dietary fibre present in apples helped to lower blood glucose level. On the other hand, though mangoes are high in carbs and sugar they do not raise the blood glucose level, if consumed in moderation. You can consume 1-2 slices in every two days if you are a diabetic.
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| Credit: nutrition-and-you.com |
Mangoes are richer than apples in protein, iron, magnesium, calcium, lipids and food energy. And they have less fructose content than apples. However, due to the higher fibre content of apples they are recommended for type II diabetics. Studies showed that some dietary fibre present in apples helped to lower blood glucose level. On the other hand, though mangoes are high in carbs and sugar they do not raise the blood glucose level, if consumed in moderation. You can consume 1-2 slices in every two days if you are a diabetic.
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| Credit: FoodStruct.com |
Oranges
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Orange is another fruit that is
available throughout the year. Oranges can be proved better than apples in the
following aspects.
Credit: nutrition-and-you.com
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 49 Kcal | 2.5% |
| Carbohydrates | 11.89 g | 9% |
| Protein | 0.94 g | 1.5% |
| Total Fat | 0.30 g | 0.5% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 2.50 g | 6% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 39 µg | 10% |
| Niacin | 0.274 mg | 2% |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.250 mg | 5% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.063 mg | 4.5% |
| Riboflavin | 0.040 mg | 3% |
| Thiamin | 0.087 mg | 7.5% |
| Vitamin-C | 48.5 mg | 81% |
| Vitamin-A | 230 IU | 8% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 0 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 179 mg | 4% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 40 mg | 4% |
| Copper | 39 µg | 4% |
| Iron | 0.09 mg | 1% |
| Magnesium | 10 mg | 2.5% |
| Manganese | 0.023 mg | 1% |
| Zinc | 0.06 mg | 1% |
The chart clearly helps to deduce the
better of the two. Thus, is you go by numbers you know what fruit to give your
first preference.
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| Credit: FoodStruct.com |
Watermelon
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| Credit: nutrition-and-you.com |
Watermelons have more proteins, iron,
calcium, magnesium and vitamin A than apples. Watermelon also provides with
numerous health benefits. The chart below will help you to deduce the more
nutritious than the two.
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| Credit: FoodStruct.com |
Kiwi
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kiwi is significantly rich in
vitamins, fibre, protein and minerals. Infact, it greatly outnumbers the nutritional
value of mostly all the nutrients in apple. Let us evaluate for ourselves.
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 61 Kcal | 3% |
| Carbohydrates | 14.66 g | 11% |
| Protein | 1.14 g | 2% |
| Total Fat | 0.52 g | 2% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g | 8% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 25 µg | 6% |
| Niacin | 0.341 mg | 2% |
| Riboflavin | 0.025 mg | 2% |
| Thiamin | 0.027 mg | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 87 IU | 3% |
| Vitamin C | 92.7 mg | 154% |
| Vitamin E | 1.46 mg | 10% |
| Vitamin K | 40.3 µg | 34% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 3 mg | 0% |
| Potassium | 312 mg | 7% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 34 mg | 3.5% |
| Copper | 0.130 mg | 14% |
| Iron | 0.31 mg | 4% |
| Magnesium | 17 mg | 4% |
| Manganese | 0.098 mg | 4% |
| Zinc | 0.14 mg | 1% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene-ß | 52 µg | -- |
| Crypto-xanthin-ß | 0 µg | -- |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 122 µg | -- |
Credit: nutrition-and-you.com
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| Credit: FoodStruct.com |
Time for our little bonus!
Avocado
Avocado is special in many ways. It is
the only fruit that is rich in healthy fat. They are very high in essential fatty
acids and have numerous health benefits. It is also termed as superfood for its
brimming quantities of nutrients.
| Principle | Nutrient Value | Percentage of RDA |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 160 Kcal | 8% |
| Carbohydrates | 8.53 g | 6.5% |
| Protein | 2.0 g | 3.5% |
| Total Fat | 14.66 g | 48% |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0% |
| Dietary Fiber | 6.7 g | 18% |
| Vitamins | ||
| Folates | 81 µg | 20% |
| Niacin | 1.738 mg | 11% |
| Pantothenic acid | 1.389 mg | 28% |
| Pyridoxine | 0.257 mg | 20% |
| Riboflavin | 0.130 mg | 10% |
| Thiamin | 0.067 mg | 5.5% |
| Vitamin-A | 146 IU | 5% |
| Vitamin-C | 10 mg | 17% |
| Vitamin-E | 2.07 mg | 14% |
| Vitamin-K | 21 µg | 17.5% |
| Electrolytes | ||
| Sodium | 7 mg | 0.5% |
| Potassium | 485 mg | 10% |
| Minerals | ||
| Calcium | 12 mg | 1% |
| Copper | 0.190 mg | 21% |
| Iron | 0.55 mg | 7% |
| Magnesium | 29 mg | 7% |
| Manganese | 0.142 mg | 6% |
| Phosphorus | 52 mg | 7% |
| Selenium | 0.4 µg | <1% |
| Zinc | 0.64 mg | 6% |
| Phyto-nutrients | ||
| Carotene-&alpha | 24 µg | -- |
| Carotene-ß | 62 µg | -- |
| Cryptoxanthin-ß | 28 µg | -- |
| Lutein-zeaxanthin | 271 µg | -- |
Credit: nutrition-and-you.com
And hey as is our topic, it is also nutritious
than apples. Let’s see how.
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| Credit: FoodStruct.com |
We talked about 6 fruits that are
healthier and more nutritious than apple. However, this article does not
conclude to say that apples are not healthy fruit. We are only trying to bring
in the light that there are fruits that are more nutritious and with more
health benefits than apples. For some of us apple was the only first choice, which
may be due to the not so correct saying that was been passed on. So we are just
trying to bring to your attention the real definition of nutritious.
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| Credit:Artur Szczybylo |
Apples are healthy fruits, packed with
numerous health benefits and it should not be avoided. However we suggest you
to add it to your monthly grocery cart with
other fruits. As about the saying keeping the doctor away depends on many
other factors and not just eating a lot of apples. And if you had the notion
that only and only apples had the nutrition that promote your health, then well
you are completely wrong. There are many other fruits with more nutrition or
nutrition at par with apples.
At the end, I say I go with the saying
“A fruit a day makes us healthy and gay”.
