Keep the Doctor Away with This Guide to Apples’ Nutritional Content
FACT #1:
Smart serving and storage extends the shelf life of fresh apples, and keeps slices from browning on your plate.
To keep fresh apples appealing, crunchy, and, well, fresh, follow these tips. Keep them in the fridge, and cut them directly before serving. Refrigeration can make fresh apples last up to ten times longer than they would if left on your counter or in a cupboard, and leaving them intact helps seal them from moisture. Once you’ve cut an apple, dip the fresh apples slices in a mixture of one part citrus juice (lemon, lime or even orange) and three parts water. The acidic content of the citrus will halt the process of oxidation, which is what makes fresh apples turn brown.
FACT #2:
Apples are one of the few fruits or vegetables that are grown in all fifty states in the U.S.
No wonder bushels of fresh apples are a part of our nation’s most patriotic pie!
FACT #3:
The nutritional content of fresh apples can definitely help keep the doctor away.
From a nutritional standpoint, fresh apples live to their reputation as a great, healthy food. Apples are naturally free from fat, sodium and cholesterol. One medium sized apple contains about five grams of fiber and just eighty calories! Because they’re so full of great nutrients, fresh apples have been linked to health advantages like lower blood pressure and greater physical stamina.
FACT #4:
Fresh apples are the result of lots of care and time.
An apple tree has to mature for four or five seasons before it begins to produce fruit. These are the most delicate and fragile years of its life, which means fresh apples are the product of lots of nuturing attention from farmers.
FACT #5:
Most fresh apples in America are eaten as-is.
By most reckonings, over sixty percent of the apple crop grown in the United States is eaten fresh, raw, and unprocessed. About twenty percent of U.S. grown apples end up as juice or cider, and the rest are made into applesauce, baked into pies, or used to make other apple-licious treats.
FACT #6:
You can get your daily fruit servings from an apple pie.
One nine inch apple pie contains an average of two whole pounds of fresh apples. That’s a bit over ten standard half-cup sized servings of fruit. So, if you cut your pie into ten slices, each one is packed with enough fresh apples to be a full serving of fruit, according to the food pyramid dietary guidelines.
FACT #7:
Fresh apples float in water.
Fresh apples are buoyant because approximately one quarter of their total volume is made up of air.
FACT #8:
Fresh apples are an enduring part of the American landscape.
Settlers brought apple seeds with them to America, and planted them in New England as early as 1630. Because they were one of the earliest crops to flourish all across the U.S., fresh apples are an iconic part of American life, so it makes plenty of sense that traditional apple based treats would show up in our annual fall festivals like Halloween and Thanksgiving.
FACT #9:
Fresh apples are the cousins of roses.
The trees that produce fresh apples are actually a member of the rose family. With a pedigree like that, it’s little wonder that the beautiful apple blossom is the official state flower of Michigan. The delicate flowers are tinted a light pink when they open, but the petals gradually become a stunning, pure white.
FACT #10:
Fresh apples come in all sizes.
An average sized apple weighs about 132 grams, or about a third of a pound. The largest apple ever picked weighed nine times that much, clocking in at just a bit over three whole pounds!
