An Apple a Day

It is safe to say that everyone has heard the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. This is something that everyone’s parents probably taught them when they were young. I know that my parents used to always say it to me. I never ate an apple every day, but I did make healthy eating choices. As a result of this, I was never a sickly child. I only went to the doctors for checkups since I had no other reasons to go.

The saying dates back as early as the 1860’s as it first appeared then in a newspaper. Originally the form of the rhyme started in Wales and it was worded a little differently. It was “Eat an apple on going to bed and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread” (Hunter). This meant that eating an apple a day would basically put doctors out of business. Now this saying is a little more excessive than the one we all grew up hearing but it is based around the dame theme. But does the common saying have any truth behind it?

There are many components of apples that have positive impacts on our health. There are quite a few different components but just naming a few, there is pectin, boron, and vitamin c. Pectin, which is a form of fiber that helps lower blood pressures and glucose levels and also maintain a healthy digestive system. Boron is a nutrient that helps not only bone strength, but also supports a healthy brain. Vitamin C is also found in apples and that helps a lot with the immune system. (Hunter) I work in a dentist office and I have learned that along with the many health perks found in the nutrients of apples, there is also the fact that apples are also significant for the health of your teeth and mouth. They can act like a toothbrush in getting out any bacteria in the mouth. So with all this information, it is easy to say that apples definitely provide great health benefits for those who eat them, but that doesn’t prove that eating an apple everyday will prevent you from getting sick.

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According to many different studies, it is found that eating an apple a day cannot be proven to keep the doctor away. There are many different confounding variables that would contribute to staying healthy. For example, just living a healthy lifestyle in general with exercise, diet, sleep, etc. will lead to healthiness and help reduce the risks of sickness and disease. Nonetheless, all fruit is good for you and each one has different benefits that will affect our health in different positive ways. A good combination of fruits and vegetables in your diet is a great way to stay away from the doctor. It is actually known to keep a very mixed diets, which means not sticking to eating the same things every day. Eating apples may play a big role in keeping you healthy, i.e. “keeping the doctor away”, but it doesn’t mean that it is the only contributor. So maybe the saying is just a clever, fun, rhyming way of saying that consuming fruits and vegetables everyday will lead to a healthy life.

Hunter, Amy. “Will an Apple a Day Keep the Doctor Away?” HowStuffWorks. N.p., 28 July 2009. Web. 10 Sept. 2016.

One thought on “An Apple a Day

  1. Amily Zhuang

    This article really puts me at ease. I developed an allergy to apples my sophomore year in high school and since then I have noticed that I get sick more often. Knowing that not eating apples is not the cause makes me feel way more in control of this sick situation! Perhaps I should evaluate the other possible causes of getting sick. (:

    Here is an article about superfruits. (Fruits that are filled with nutrients, fiber, minerals and antioxidants. They can also possibly prevent disease.)

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