Vitamins and Minerals Found Inside Apples

Apples are loaded with nutrients our bodies seek, and are the most versatile fruit for juicing alone, with other fruit ...and with most vegetables, too! Apples can be both nutritious and delicious... as the saying goes, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Here are a few of the questions we attempt to answer about apples.

• What vitamins in apples make apples so good for us?
• What is the best method for juicing apples?
• What are some great buying tips for apples?

Plus, we'll do our best to provide some general information about apples that you might not find so easily elsewhere on the Internet.

Let's begin our exploration of Apples...

Vitamins and Other Nutrients Found inside Fresh Apples

Apples are probably best known for being a terrific source of pectin, which forms a gel to remove toxins from the intestines and at the same time stimulates peristaltic and bowel activity. Also, the natural sugar in apples produces acids that stimulate saliva flow and digestion -- a good reason to chew apples well if you choose to eat them in lieu of juicing them.

But, in addition to being a great source of pectin and their benefits as a digestion aid, apples are a great source for several different vitamins and minerals.

VITAMINS in Apples:

• Vitamin A
• Vitamin C
• Vitamin E
• Folate (important for pregnant women)

MINERALS in Apples:

• Potassium
• Calcium
• Phosphorus
• Magnesium
• Selenium
• And trace amounts of iron, manganese, copper and zinc.

One medium apple with skin, in addition to the many vitamins and minerals listed above, also provides about 4 grams of dietary fiber when eaten.

But the real beauty of the apple is how versatile it is for juicing. The next time you think about Apples... think about how they might add a powerful boost to your daily nutrition through juicing.

Tips for Juicing Apples

Juicing apples can add both flavor and valuable nutrients to most any home-juiced cocktail... or it can result in a not-so-palatable drink that is difficult, if not impossible to swallow.

Here are a few tips for juicing apples that may help turn your juicing experience into something you look forward to and thoroughly enjoy.

As there are more than 1400 different varieties of apples, which variety of apple is great for juicing? We prefer Delicious (easy to digest), Golden Delicious, red Winesap, McIntosh, pippin, Granny Smith, Jonathan, and Rome Beauties. All are great for juicing and at least 2 or 3 are always available regardless of the time of year.

For juicing, we recommend buying organic apples. If not available in your area, then be sure to clean your apples thoroughly before juicing. (Learn more about this in "Purchasing Tips for Buying Apples" below.)

Apples are perhaps one of the most versatile fruits for juicing, blending well with several different vegetables and other fruit. Check out the juicing section in our Nutrition Center for some great recipes using this wonderful fruit!

Purchasing Tips for Buying Apples

If you are unable to grow your own apples, then here are a few tips for buying (and storing) apples that may help you get the freshest ingredients for your juicing recipes.

Soft, mealy apples do not juice well, so look for crisp apples without soft spots or bruises. When possible, purchase organic apples -- often as many as eleven chemicals are used by larger non-organic growers who then wax their apples to preserve them further...

If you can't purchase organic apples, be sure to soak apples in a biodegradable produce wash (see example to the right from Amazon.com - example is for a case of 12). Don't worry if you can't remove all the wax. You can peel the most offending wax off before juicing and the balance (plus peel) will remain in the pulp receptacle of your juicing machine.

For organic apples, simply rinse them in cool water.

After washing/rinsing, dry apples well and store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.

Harvesting Tips if You Grow Your Own Apples

The University of Illinois Extension website entitled "Apples and More" has some great tips for growing apples (as well as a great deal of additional information about apples). Here's a few quick tips for harvesting your apples if you are lucky enough to grow your own.

When normal, unblemished fruits start to drop, the time is just about right plus the "under color" or "ground color" is a clue to maturity or ripeness.

The "under color," that is the same color as the peel in yellow or gold varieties and can be seen around the core or stem cavities in red varieties, changes from green to yellow or greenish-yellow as apples mature. Watch for that color change to make sure you're picking apples that are ready to use.

Ripe apples should be easy to pick with stems attached.

You should be able to roll or twist the apple so its stem separates from the tree – not from the fruit and remains on the tree. Handle fruits carefully after picking to avoid bruising. [link to website - opens in new window]

The above information should also be helpful to those of you who prefer to get your apples from a pick-your-own orchard.

General Information About Apples

This article wouldn't be complete if we didn't include a little general information about apples, as well as a few helpful links if you want to explore apples further.

In ancient Rome, there were only 30 varieties of apples recorded. Apples have been praised for centuries by civilizations as diverse as those of the Norse and Turks... and long thought to have rejuvenation powers. The charred remains of apples have even been found in a Stone Age village in Switzerland.

In his article "Great Moments in Apple History" Mitch Lynd writes:

In Greek mythology, Gaia, or Mother Earth, presented a tree with golden apples to Zeus and his bride Hera on their wedding day. Guarded by Ladon, a serpent who never slept, the apple tree was in the garden of the Hesperides, daughters of the Evening Star. These golden apples became involved with many tales of love, bribery and temptation ranging from the abduction of Helen of Troy to the defeat and marriage of Atlanta. The sexual and romantic connotations of the apple were powerful reasons why apples came as dessert at the end of the meal. They not only tasted heavenly and were good for digestion but were regarded as a cunning transitional aphrodisiac for the pleasures that followed. Is it any wonder that apples became the most sought after fruit on earth? They have taken their rightful place in the pleasure gardens of the wealthy throughout the world in spite of the almost instinctive knowledge that eating them may lead one to a life of chaos and destruction. [link to source - opens in new window]

The custom of serving roast apples with a little saucer full of Carraways is still kept up at Trinity College, Cambridge, and at some of the old-fashioned London Livery dinners, just as in Shakespeare's days.

Additional Sources/Resources for Apples

• Botanical.com - Apple
• University of Illinois Extension - Apples and More
• Midwest Apple Improvement Association

Be sure to check out both our "Juicing" and our "Smoothies" sections for delicious recipes and more using Apples!