Apples

Usually, my "eat this now" series corresponds to some festival or other... not this time... I was just trying to figure out a "nutrition" post for the week while I happened to be eating an apple... and apples are in season... and good for you... so here goes. First off, they're a filling snack, packing 4g of soluble fiber and only 95 calories. And, apples contain quercetin, which aids endurance by making oxygen more available to the lungs. So, eating one before you exercise can boost endurance! Apparently, eating apples can also help you lose weight, and researchers attribute this to the fruit's antioxidants and pectin. More importantly, these compounds help to lower bad cholesterol and prevent inflammation. Apple-eaters are also less likely to suffer from metabolic syndrome (which has been lined to heart disease and diabetes), have a reduced risk for Alzheimer's and many forms of cancer (lung, breast, colon, and liver), have healthier bones (owing to a flavanoid called phloridzin). However, what I found the most interesting was that they also helped reduce asthma symptoms!

So, they boost endurance, reduce inflammation, and help me breathe better?!? Sweet! Good thing apples are probably my favorite fruit. I mean, I really like blueberries and watermelon (and most other fruit), but they have more of a "season"... apples are more of an "everyday" fruit. What do I mean by this? No matter what, grocery stores always have apples, and they're generally always around the same price. Furthermore, they taste the same to me regardless of the season, although I would have to say they are slightly fresher in the fall. And, unlike oranges (another "everyday" fruit), you don't have to work that hard to eat them, and they don't go bad as quickly as bananas do (rounding out the top 3 "everyday" fruits). Apples also go well in just about everything... sandwiches, salads, deserts (ok, that exhausts my cooking). Personally, granny smith apples are my favorite, but that's mostly because they stand up to the rigors of "backpack travel" the best (I've had 5+ years to experiment).