Apples

One of the world’s most popular fruits, apples are longtime favorite snacks and come in more than 7,500 cultivars, offering sweet to tart tastes. Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, McIntosh, Gala and Fuji are among the favorite varieties sold in the United States. The apple scores a 92 out of 100 in Dr. T.C. Fry’s “A General Guide to Food Selection.”

Apples are obtained from the medium-sized tree belonging to the Rosaceae family. A medium-size apple measures 3 inches in diameter, weighs 182 grams and contains 95 calories.

Apples are rich in fiber and contain ample amounts of Vitamin C. They contain 86 percent water by weight.

China produced almost 37 million metric tonnes of apples in 2012, with the United States producing more than 4 million metric tonnes in the same year. Turkey, Poland and India round out the list of the top-five apple-growing countries. About 64 million tonnes of apples were grown worldwide in 2012.

Famously, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Jobs ate apples for a month in the mid-1970s while experimenting with a fruitarian diet. Some fruitarians revise the adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” to bolster the health benefits of their diets.

Stats for 100 Grams of Apple (Raw, with Skin)

• 52 calories

Notable Nutrients

Percentages based on the Reference Daily Intake for a 2,000-calorie diet

• Fiber: 9.6%
• Vitamin C: 7.7%

Carbs/Protein/Fat

• Carbohydrates: 95.6%
• Protein: 1.7%
• Fat: 2.7%

Food Type

• Subacid fruit

Sources

• Self Healing Colitis & Crohn’s by Dr. David Klein
• http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2122
• http://www.cronometer.com
• http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/apple-fruit.html
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apple