Apple Health Benefits
Apples have enormous health benefits for the body in the sweet edible fruit perfectly suited for a delicious low calorie snack option. Apples can be added to any dish or salad for additional garnish packed with nutritional benefits. Apple trees are cultivated for worldwide production growing 83.1 million tons in 2017 specifically bred for various tastes and uses in cooking, eating raw or for cider production. As the proverb goes, an apple a day keeps the doctor away may be true as apples are a rich source of phytochemicals found in the skin, core, and pulp of the apple.
One apple with the peel on is cholesterol-free and contains 5% of the daily recommendations of vitamin C. The National Library of Medicine, studies suggest a diet high in fruits and vegetables may decrease the risk of developing chronic disease including some cancers, diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease due to phytochemicals including carotenoids, flavonoids, play an important role in fighting disease indicators of apple health benefits.
Phytochemicals powerful antioxidants found in apples may help reduce the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and some cancers. The peel of the apple contains most of the fiber which helps maintain LDL cholesterol for heart health and most of the vitamin C is beneath the peel. Typically one medium apple is 154 grams for a 5.5-ounce apple, contains 5 grams of fiber, is fat-free, saturated fat-free, and trans fat-free.
The United States Department of Agriculture, apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber and vitamin C when consumed with the peel on to obtain apple health benefits. Apples are considered a low-calorie snack eaten raw or cooked in recipes served in many dishes worldwide. One medium apple with the peel is approximately 90 calories perfectly suited for snacks on the go. Apples can be eaten sliced, diced, cooked or consumed whole.
Baked Apple With Toasted Walnuts
One apple contains approximately 90 calories, 19 grams of natural sugar, high in fiber and vitamin C. When cooking with apples some recipes do not add additional sugar added to the sweetness of the fruit. Satisfy your hunger with a low calorie baked cinnamon apple topped with toasted walnuts, sugar free vanilla yogurt for snack or dessert. Apples are the perfect snack food eaten raw or cooked in recipes beneficial for promoting good health. Try this sugar-free Baked Apple recipe topped with walnuts and low-fat vanilla yogurt. Simply delicious!
Ingredients
4 medium apples peel on cored
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon almond oil
¼ cup chopped walnuts optional toasted
Instructions
1.) Prepare apples, wash and cored
2.) Add ¼ teaspoon of pure almond oil inside each core of the apples
3.) sprinkle cinnamon in each cored apple
4) Top each core with a sprinkle of walnuts or nut of choice
5.) Wrap each apple in parchment paper
6.) Wrap each apple in foil over the parchment paper.
7.) Place the apples standing up in a baking dish core side facing up.
8.) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake apples for 45 minutes in a 375-degree oven until cooked through. Serve baked apples topped with a low-fat sugar-free yogurt for a delicious treat low in calories packed with nutrition.
Cheers!
Patricia Lynn
Images Courtesy of Daira-Yakovleva at Pixbay
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