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How 'bout Them Apples?
(by Melissa Frasier (aka the Busy Mom) - September 07, 2010)
It has been a strange summer in Oroville. The temperatures have fluctuated between extremely hot to downright cool. As September approaches, it reminds me that fall is just around the bend. You can see it in some of the trees and flowers already.
Fall is my favorite season for many reasons, from the cooler weather to the great fall colors of harvest orange, dark reds and burnished browns. But September specifically reminds me of apples. Maybe it has something to do with the kids going back to school? The classroom is usually decorated with an apple theme on the calendar or the kids will have a classroom unit on Johnny Appleseed who was a legendary figure that spread apple seeds across the country. I love anything that has an apple flavor to it, and most people I know feel the same way. Americans even associate homemade apple pie to America itself. This got me thinking more about apples, so I dug around and came up with some interesting statistics from www.healthdiaries.com.
Did you know?
The average person will eat 65 apples per year.
The largest apple ever picked weighed three pounds, two ounces.
Apples float because 25 % of their volume is air.
The apple is the official state fruit of Washington, New York, Rhode Island, and West Virginia.
The only apple native to North America is the crabapple.
Half the United States apple crop is turned into apple products like applesauce and apple juice.
How about the health benefits of apples? There are many, but here are a couple of suggestions that really stood out for me from www.healthdiaries.com.
Asthma Help
One recent study shows that children with asthma who drank apple juice on a daily basis suffered from less wheezing than children who drank apple juice only once per month.
Diabetes Management
The pectin in apples supplies galacturonic acid to the body which lowers the bodys need for insulin and may help in the management of diabetes.
Plus dont forget apples are a great source of fiber at only 5 grams each, they are fat free and a medium apple is about 80 calories. It truly is the best portable, low calorie snack.
How can you incorporate more apples into your familys diet? It isnt always possible to eat a whole apple per family member every day, but you can fit it in somewhere. Every mom has packed an apple in their childs lunch and found it still in the lunch bag at the end of the day. I think I might have even packed the same apple for a week!
Of course apple juice and applesauce are obvious, but how about adding some apples to your pancake or muffin batter? For snacking ideas, apples in yogurt with granola are great or dipping apple slices in peanut butter. I even like to put apples in my salad for a great combination of sweet and tangy in comparison to the veggies (this is my version of the Waldorf salad). There are endless possibilities and great recipes online.
The apple continues to be a staple in my home. By finding ways to add this fruit to your familys daily diet, an apple a day may just help keep the doctor away. So how ‘bout them apples?
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