Besides the delicious taste, apples are extremely useful for our health. The medicinal properties of apples are explained by their composition. Apples contain vitamins C, B1, B2, P, E. Also in the composition of apples there is a large number of microelements: potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, aluminum, boron, vanadium, iron, iodine, copper, molybdenum, nickel, fluorine, chromium and zinc.
A study conducted by the Nottingham Research Institute showed that if you eat 5 apples weekly, you aren’t going to suffer from the respiratory diseases often (including asthma). Want to know about useful properties of apples for your health? Then here you will find a lot of tasty recipes to enjoy delicious food and improve health at the same time.
- 1. Apples normalize the work of the gastrointestinal tract
- 2. Apples help to lose weight
- 3. Apples improve women’s health after menopause
- 4. Apples prevent cancer
- 5. Apples make teeth stronger and healthier
- 6. Apples improve the condition of skin, nails and hair
- 7. Apples protect against flu and seasonal colds
Apples contain such important natural acids as apple, wine and lemon, and in combination with the tannic substances, these acids stop the processes of putrefaction and fermentation in the intestine, make it possible to get rid of such unpleasant health problems as flatulence and bloating by promoting natural cleansing and recovery of the intestine. And it is well-known that healthy intestine is a key to longevity. Thanks to pectin, apples act as a very light and absolutely safe laxative. For the prevention of constipation it is recommended to have 1-2 sour apples on an empty stomach in the morning.
When the summer comes, be sure to try cooking apple marmalade. This dish is unusually tasty, and it’s very easy to make it. Summer apples are very rich in pectin, due to which they perfectly form jelly and do not require the use of gelatin. Pectin is a complex of plant fibers with many great functions: it stabilizes the metabolism, perfectly cleansing the body of heavy metals, radionuclides and slags. It lowers cholesterol and stimulates intestinal peristalsis.
Recipe: Apple marmalade
For homemade apple marmalade any apples are suitable.
- Apples should be washed, peeled and cored, cut into cubes
- cook 2 kg of apples in water until soft
- wipe them through a sieve
- add 500 grams of sugar to apple sauce and cook again, stirring constantly until the mixture thickens
- put marmalade in silicone form, let it cool, sprinkle with sugar and cut into pieces.
To make soft marmalade:
- bake 1 kg of apples in the oven,
- then wipe them through a sieve,
- mix with 400 g of sugar and cook for a short time until the mass slightly thickens.
Advice: Such marmalade is served with toast and cookies for breakfast. Very delicious apple marmalade is with the addition of pears, pumpkins, gooseberries, black currants, plums and quinces, as well as apples are perfectly combined with the flavor of cinnamon, orange peel and walnuts.
Nutritionists recommend eating 2-4 apples a day or drinking 2 cups of freshly squeezed apple juice. In apples there is a large content of vitamins, such as (C, E, G, carotene, B vitamins and folic acid). Apples help to maintain a healthy weight. This conclusion was reached by scientists from the United States, who recommended that all women must include apples in their diet.
Before you introduce apples into your diet to reduce weight, you need to know these nuances:
- First you need to determine what sorts of apples are right for you, as with peptic ulcer with high acidity you cannot eat apples of acidic varieties, only sweet apples are suitable in this case. And with reduced acidity, sour apples are appropriate.
- Grated apples are better absorbed, but do not remove the peel, because under it there is a large number of nutrients.
- It is best to eat raw apples or after minimal heat treatment.
- If you do not have contraindications, then it is best to use several varieties of apples to reduce weight.
Recipe 1: Apple fat-burning drink
This fat-burning drink should be drunk before meals and between meals.
- Take a big apple, cut it,
- without peeling put it in a jug,
- add a cinnamon stick (break it),
- fill the scented vitamin mixture with cold water (1 L),
- leave the drink in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, after which you can enjoy its taste.
Another recipe for making a drink is somewhat different:
- Grate an apple on the grater (do not peel it),
- mix the apple slurry with cinnamon powder (10 g) and 0.5 tsp. of the ground ginger,
- pour the mixture with hot water,
- wait until it has cooled completely and put it in the refrigerator,
- after 2 hours you can drink a healthy drink.
Recipe 2: Low calorie apple salad
The simplest salad recipe combines an apple and low-fat yogurt. You can also add pear. If you would like to have more ingredients, then the more complex variant of the salad is here:
- scald 500 g of spinach with boiling water and then finely chop,
- cut 350 grams of peeled apples into slices and sprinkle with lemon juice,
- finely chop hard-boiled eggs,
- mix all the ingredients,
- season with a mixture of lemon juice and vegetable oil (2 tablespoons of both),
- enrich the taste of the salad with your favorite seasonings and lightly salt.
- decorate the dish with mint leaves and parsley.
Advice: To lose weight, 1-2 times a week it is recommended to have unloading days, and for the prevention of problems with weight it will be enough to have 1 unloading day per month.
Scientists came to the conclusion: the regular use of apples allows you to keep youth and beauty longer. Chinese professor Zhen Yu Chen, who led the study, believes that regular consumption of apples helps to prolong life expectancy by 10% and reduce the risk of heart and vascular diseases in women by 15-20%.
Women die of cardiovascular disease more often than men. After the onset of menopause, hormonal changes in the body greatly increase the risk of stroke, diabetes and other problems, and therefore women need to take preventive measures to reduce their risk. Apples reduce the risk of death from coronary heart disease and other diseases of the cardiovascular system. Studies have shown that the use of foods rich in flavonoids, such as apples, is most effective for the health of the heart of women after menopause. In addition to flavonoids, apples contain pectin and soluble fiber, which are associated with the prevention of a number of diseases. Women who ate at least one apple a day are 28% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Soluble fiber of apples reduces fluctuations in blood sugar.
Recipe 1: Pumpkin casserole with apples
It is well-known that there is no woman who doesn’t like some tasty desserts. This is an excellent dish for breakfast or a mid-morning snack, both useful and tasty, prepared easily and from natural products:
- Pumpkin – 300 g
- Apples – 2 pcs.
- Eggs- 2 pcs.
- Semolina – 2 tablespoons.
- Butter – 30 g
- Sugar – 10 g
Dice the pumpkin and fill it with water so that it closes it halfway. Let it cook for 10-15 minutes until soft (depending on the pumpkin variety). Peel apples and grate on a large grater. Rub apples. Whisk eggs with a mixer. When the pumpkin is cooked, mash it to a puree state: the water should practically evaporate. If overdone, then just pre-drain excess water. Add the butter and semolina. When the mass becomes room temperature, add whipped eggs, sugar and salt. Stir well. Add eggs, sugar and salt. Fill in portioned molds or a large baking dish, previously baked with baking paper. Put the pumpkin mass in molds. Bake a pumpkin casserole with apples in the oven at 200 degrees for about 40 minutes (small molds – smaller).
Advice: Women after menopause need to include this fruit in their daily ration in order to prevent many health problems.
Scientists from the American Association for the Study of Cancer came to the conclusion that regular use of apples allows a 23% reduction in the likelihood of pancreatic cancer. Scientists from Cornell University found that the skin of apples contains compounds that prevent the growth of cancer cells in the liver, breast and colon. Previous studies have shown that apple freshly squeezed juice, actively included in the diet of rats, prevents the appearance of breast cancer in them. In rats that ate 6 apples a day, the risk of developing breast cancer decreased by 44%.
It is curious that no other fruit or vegetables produced the same effect as apples in the prevention of cancer. Perhaps, such amazing protective properties of apples are explained by the presence of flavonoids in them. These substances, acting on the principle of antioxidants, are contained in the skin of apples. They do not allow molecules or free radicals to cause damage to tissues, from which the tumor can develop over time. So in any case, do not cut the peel from apples – it contains five times more of these antioxidants than in apple flesh.
Recipe 1: Apple tea
- Take 1 tbsp. of apple rind and a glass of boiling water and let it insist as tea.
- Take 1/2 cup 5-6 times a day before meals or pour 2-3 unpeeled apple with a liter of water and boil for 15 minutes.
- Take a glass 3 times daily before meals.
Recipe 2: Apple soup with anti-cancer effect
- Take 500 g of apples, 1 l of water, 2 tbsp. of semolina, 20 g of sugar, a branch of melissa.
- Wash apples, remove the core and cut into pieces.
- In the resulting mass add a sprig of lemon balm and boil in water for 10 minutes.
- Ready soup-compote is then combined with semolina,
- Put sugar (you can make it without sugar). In the soup, you can add red 20 g of wine.
Advice: In the period of treatment in the diet one must include apples weighing not less than 100-150 g.
Beautiful strong teeth without the help of a dentist are almost an impossible dream. But not for those who know that green apples are useful for teeth. To keep the mouth and teeth healthy, you need not only oral hygiene, but also rational nutrition.
It turns out that the health of your own teeth and gums can be saved with the help of green apples. Solid fruit with small sugar content can activate the blood supply to the gums. In addition, by eating apples before or during meals, you simultaneously clean and protect the oral cavity. In this case, a completely natural and painless cleansing of the enamel of the teeth takes place. Scientists have noticed another useful quality in fruits: they completely replace toothpastes and powders, one apple in the morning – and teeth are clean and healthy as apples protect them from destruction.
Apples contain many vitamins and microelements useful for teeth and gums, such as:
- vitamins B, D, E, K, C, PP,
- iodine ,
- cobalt and silver, which normalize blood circulation in the gums and supply the necessary for the health of teeth calcium and phosphorus.
Our teeth and gums were used to soft, processed food and stopped functioning normally, as a result, plaque and circulatory disorders appeared. Just a couple of apples a day and your gums are provided with a good massage, and teeth will be able to get rid of sediments. In addition, apples stimulate the secretion of saliva, constantly washing the oral cavity and reducing the number of microbes and bacteria.
Recipe 1: Salad with green apples and cucumbers
- Take hard green apples and cut them into quite thick slices.
- Cut cucumbers not thinner than 0.7 cm,
- Take onions to your taste
- Mix the juice of the whole lemon with honey.
- Salad can be salted to taste. It is possible to add pepper, greens, fill with dressing, mix, cover and put in the fridge marinate for a day, and more. If marinated for more than a day, then you can mix once a day, for even marinating.
Advice: Eat at least one apple in the morning and in the evening to clean your teeth. It is better to have an apple after each meals.
Every woman will be glad to find out that simple apples are able to help make their skin, hair and nails look much healthier. Apples are often used in cosmetology due to their useful properties:
- Pectin improves the complexion and promotes the freshness of the skin;
- vitamin C is an antioxidant and fights with signs of aging;
- apples have an astringent effect on oily, combined and porous skin, due to which they cleanse and reduce pores;
- ·apples reduce inflammation on the skin and fight acne;
- K-vitamin and phylloquinone in the composition of apples return a beautiful shine and a bright, rich color to the dull hair.
Recipe 1: Apple Cider Vinegar
Thanks to provitamin A, which releases the body from the negative effects of free radicals, apple cider vinegar prevents premature aging. Apple cider vinegar is a real find for women. Thanks to it, women can forget about beauty salons at all. For example, one tablespoon of vinegar, diluted in a glass of cool water, can work wonders. A set of acids contained in this liquid enhances blood microcirculation, whitens the face and cures small and mimic wrinkles. If you take a bath with a glass of apple cider vinegar, then the skin of the body will become silky and smooth to the touch as apple cider vinegar perfectly tones it. Here there is a recipe of a homemade apple cider vinegar.
- Don’t wash apples, cut them into slices, remove the skin and bones.
- Grind apples using a grater, meat grinder or other means until smooth.
- Fold the mashed mass together with the secreted juice in a non-metallic container, for example, an enamel pan or a plastic basin. Cover with gauze.
- Put for 2-3 days in a dark place with room temperature. Once in 8-12 hours mix with a clean hand or a wooden stick. When the apple mass darkens, foam appears on top, a hiss and a slight smell of fermentation, go to the next stage.
- Press the mashed mass through a gauze or press. Squeezes are no longer needed.
- Filter the fermented juice into a jar or glass bottle, filling not more than 75% of the volume. Try the taste. If the juice is not sweet, add sugar based on the proportions in the recipe, mix. The juice should be sweet, but not cloying (the maximum allowable sugar content is 20%). If strong acidity is felt (tongue plucked), add water.
- Place the bottle (can) to a dark place with a temperature of 20-25 ° C for 25-40 days.
- At the end of fermentation drain the young wine through the tube, without touching the sediment at the bottom, so that apple cider vinegar turns bright without turbidity.
- Pour the wine into a container with a wide neck. The more the area of contact of wine with air is, the better. Leave for 45-60 days in a dark place (or cover) at 18-23 ° C. The wine will gradually sour, turning into vinegar. At the end of the fermentation, the characteristic sharp smell of souring disappears.
Advice: Finished homemade apple cider vinegar should be filtered through 3-4 layers of gauze or dense fabric. Pour it into bottles for storage and hermetically close.
For the prevention of influenza or other colds adhere to apple therapy. Eat 2-3 apples a day. This will reduce the risk of the disease three-fold. But if you are already sick, then the use of apples during this period will facilitate the course of the disease.
Having eaten an apple, you will feel a rush of vigor and energy, since the apple contains a lot of useful vitamins and trace elements, which improve the body’s condition, make it more durable, increase immunity and protect against seasonal diseases.
Recipe 1: Decoction of fresh apples
Decoction of fresh apples treat acute and chronic bronchitis, coughing cold. Preparation:
- apples should be finely chopped,
- add a little water,
- put out on a very slow fire for 10 minutes.
Eat 1-2 tablespoons 8-10 times a day. If the bronchitis is bitten, then add 1 tablespoon of butter and honey to the apple puree.
Recipe 2: Apple salad with vegetables and sour cream
- Take 5 grated apples,
- Add horseradish root,
- Take one carrot,
- Add sugar, salt and sour cream to taste.
- Mix all ingredients.
This recipe is especially useful when there is a violation of metabolism, colds and infectious diseases of the respiratory system.
Advice: It is always better to prevent colds than treating them, that’s why including apples in the daily ration is going to help you forget about seasonal colds. A wonderful remedy for colds and for strengthening immunity is apple peel. Dry it and store it in a jar of tea. In the winter it is possible to brew tea with it.