Not All Apples Are Created Equally

With school buses back on the road and kids in the classroom, Fall is soon upon us. And that means…..apple picking season! Apples are high in anti-oxidants, phytonutrients, and polyphenols (think cellular repair, disease fighting, and decreasing inflammation), high in fiber, and some are even high in vitamin B and Potassium. Be careful though, some are extremely high in sugar and can have the same sugar content as a candy bar! Not all apples are made alike, these are the top five most nutritious:

• Red Delicious (don’t forget to include the skin as it is rich in anthocyanins…anti-diabetic, anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory, anti-microbial, and anti-obesity effects)

• Granny Smith (has 13x more phytonutrients than a Ginger Gold)

• Golden Delicious (Liberty has 2x the antioxidant value as a GD)

• Fuji

• Gala

• (Honey Crisp, just missed the list, but it’s a good one too as it is one of the MOST phytonutrient-rich variety in the produce section of the store)

Fresh picked apples will always have more antioxidants than apples that have been stored so if you have the chance, make some time to stop by an orchard to pick some fresh apples! Keep in mind that the skin of an apple has 90% of the pesticides, but 50% of the nutrients…our suggestion is to make sure and buy organic. Happy picking! Credit: Meritt Watts via furthermore/