“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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Here we are going to see 5 fruits that are more nutritious than apple and at last a special bonus fruit. One of the reasons why apple are considered healthier is because of the polyphenolic compounds and antioxidants present in it. But when we look closer, apples are not the most abundant source of these compounds. When a group of scientists from  group of scientists from National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad conducted a experiment for antioxidant activity in fruits, they found the highest concentration of antioxidants to be in guava. Antioxidant in guava was just under 500mg/100gms where as our celebrity fruit-apple had just 135mg/100gms; a quarter of what was present in guava.

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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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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. 

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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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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.

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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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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.

Oranges (Citrus sinensis), Fresh, raw, valencias,
Nutritive Value per 100 g. Total-ORAC- 1819 µmol TE/100 g.
(Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)

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%

                                                           Credit: nutrition-and-you.com

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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Watermelon

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Just a heads-up, watermelons are not just water and sugar. They are pretty nutrient dense fruit. Let's have a look.

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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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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.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients:

Kiwi fruit nutrition profile (Chinese gooseberry (Actinidia chinensis)), Fresh, values per 100 g. (Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)

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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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.

See the table below for in depth analysis of nutrients:

Avocado nutrition profile/ 100 g(Persea americana), Refuse seed and skin. (Source: USDA National Nutrient data base)

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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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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At the end, I say I go with the saying “A fruit a day makes us healthy and gay”.