‘An apple a day keeps the doctor away,’ this age-old wisdom has been spoken, shared and widely believed since time immemorial. And really, the many benefits of apples do make this juicy, fleshy fruit a wonderful addition to a healthy and balanced diet. There are many varieties of apples found across the world. In fact, there are more than 7500 varieties of apples grown around the world!
Some of the most popular varieties of apples include red delicious, gala, macintosh, golden delicious, and fuji. But, even though there are thousands of different varieties of apples, they appear mainly in four different colors, namely red, pink, yellow, and green. The red color of an apple is due to the presence of a chemical called anthocyanin.
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Table of Contents
What is Green Apple?
When it comes to green apples, their low-sugar and calorie content do make them a strong contender in the list of healthy super-foods. With benefits such as increasing the platelet count and weight management, thanks to its antioxidant-rich content and anti-inflammatory nature, a green apple a day can also keep the doctor away. Let’s check some of the popular reasons behind the consumption of green apples.
Health Benefits Of Green Apples
1. Manage Weight Gain With Green Apples
Being low in fat and high in fiber, green apples do make for a great filling meal. Containing very little natural sugar helps green apples in claiming their rightful place on a weight loss diet.
Furthermore, being filled with fiber (which is mostly indigestible), consumption of green apples can significantly boost the body’s metabolism, as the work required by the body to digest a fiber-filled meal is more. Thus, by eating a green apple (which is also low in calories), the body spends more calories in digesting than it does to consume an apple, making green apple a negative-calorie food and quite effective for weight loss.
2. Internal Cleanser
The high fiber content in green apples can be responsible for a variety of benefits, whether it is increasing the body’s metabolism or keeping the stomach filled. However, if there is one lesser-known advantage of consuming a fiber-rich diet; that it works as an internal cleanser.
Soluble fibers called pectin (which is present in green apples) is beneficial for adding to the bulk to the stood, and rid the digestive system of the indigested wastes, further resulting in a good intestinal and digestive health.
3. Apples Enable Blood Clotting
The efficiency of the process of blood clotting is influenced by a lot of nutrients out of which two particular nutrients that play a vital role are vitamin K and Iron, which are in fact present in green apples in high quantities (1).
Studies suggest that both of these nutrients have shown to significantly increase the platelet count in the blood, thus fastening the process of clotting.
4. Loaded With Anti-oxidants
Green apples are a great source of antioxidants. Antioxidant types such as flavonoid and polyphenol, are abundantly present in a green apple. The high antioxidant content in these apples is commendable. Eating foods rich in antioxidants can reduce the risk of many diseases like cancer and cardiovascular ailments.
These antioxidants are beneficial when it comes to scavenging the free-oxygen atoms in the blood (free-radicals). These free-radicals are responsible for attacking the healthy cells, which produces oxidative stress and further causes damage to the cells. However, antioxidants, on the other hand, are responsible for combining with these free-radicals and preventing the occurrence of any such damage.
5. Prevents Oxidative Stress-Induced Inflammation
As mentioned in the previous point, green apples are a rich source of antioxidants which makes it effective against free-radicals. The oxidative stress caused by the attack of these free-radicals on healthy cells can sometimes lead to their inflammation. Some of the common conditions that result from such inflammation are arthritis and rheumatism, both of which are the result of inflamed muscles and joints.
However, acting as free-radical scavengers, an antioxidant-rich diet can reduce the risk of this oxidative stress-induced inflammation by combining with the free radicals before they attack any healthy cells.
6. Increases Bone Density
Green apples are a great source of calcium, a mineral that is one of the most important nutrients and is also known as a building block for bones and teeth. This mineral (calcium) is often released from our body through the excretion of excess water. However, the removed calcium can be replaced by the deposition of the remaining calcium particles in the bloodstream, thus, a calcium-rich diet helps as it increases the density of the bones, making them stronger.
Now that we are aware of the various health benefits that can correspond with the addition of green apple in your diet, let’s take a look at its beauty benefits
7. Green Apple For Skin – A Storehouse For Vitamin C
Aspire to have a radiant, even toned skin? Every beauty enthusiast knows about the wonders that vitamin C can do for the skin cells.
Vitamin C is an essential antioxidant that is responsible for increasing the water retention capabilities of skin cells, thus keeping the skin moisturized. This results in a bright and radiant skin. It can improve the overall texture of your skin and hair. It can even help fight off acne.
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8. Fights The Signs Of Ageing
Bye, wrinkles! Age defying foods, which can help in achieving beautiful skin and hair are a must in our diets. Delaying signs of aging is another classic benefit of a vitamin C rich diet.
The presence of antioxidants such as vitamin C helps the skin cells by keeping them nourished, thus maintaining their structure, which further results in preventing wrinkles and other signs of aging. This fruit provides all the necessary nutrients needed to make your skin look younger.
Green Apple Vs Red Apple
If you are looking for the difference between green apple and red apple, then you have come to the right place. Though it has been a topic of many debates, the difference between these two types of apples arises due to the natural difference in their nutritional value.
For example, one of the principal differentiators between the two is the big difference in their calorie content. One red apple contains about 130 calories, whereas one single green apple contains 52 calories, which is roughly one-third of a red apple’s calorie content, thus making green apples a rather beneficial choice for weight loss.
However, red apples have more anthocyanin, a chemical that is known to promote heart health (managing cholesterol levels) , and it even makes red apples a more efficient choice for lowering cholesterol as compared to green apple.
What Makes Green Apples A Great Choice?
There are hardly any food items that are both sweet and low on sugar at the same time. What makes a green apple a great choice to be a part of a healthy diet is not only its taste but its calorific value and the antioxidants too, which furthermore makes it quite beneficial when it comes to keeping the age-related issues (such as Alzheimer’s and bone degradation) at bay.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here we answered a few FAQs about green apples.
1. What can you use green apples for?
Green Apples can be used to make a variety of dishes and beverages. Green apples are a great way to give a tart kick to smoothies and juices. You can also add green apples in your morning cereal bowl along with some nuts like almonds. Add thin slices of green apples to a fresh lettuce and walnut salad. Use the apples with the skin on to make the salad more vibrant looking. If you have a sweet tooth, they can be turned into green apple and cinnamon breakfast muffins.
2. Do apples last longer in the fridge or on the counter?
Wondering for how long they can stay good or have they gone bad? It has been noticed that the skin on the apples can start to shrivel in under a week if kept on the counter top, at room temperature. This is keeping in mind the Indian climate. Apples refrigerated at a regulated temperature last much longer than the ones stored at room temperature. They can sometimes be stored for weeks and still appear fresh.
3. What flavor goes with green apple?
Green apple pairs beautifully with nuts like walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Eating green apples with a sweet and sticky caramel sauce or with maple syrup is absolutely heavenly. Pair them with spices and herbs like cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, rosemary pair wonderfully with tart green apples. Apples are great when added to a salad to amp the crunchiness.
4. Why do green apples last longer?
Apples last longer than most fruits when stored in the correct conditions. Green apples do have a longer shelf life in comparison to other fruits like bananas and peaches. It is advised to store apples a little away from other fruits due to the gas emitted (ethylene gas) which speeds up the ripening process of the other fruits kept along.
Final Words
What is more important to note is that if you eat it along with the skin, green apples tend to provide 10% more nutrients as the skin is rich with fiber (the indigestible part of the food that keeps the stomach filled for a longer time). So, if you are looking for a tasty treat, which would also help by keeping your system up to date and healthy, then look no further, for green apples are a great way of keeping the doctor away.
