An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. I am sure that all of us have heard our mom say this about a million time growing up. Obviously they want us to eat fruits to be healthy, however can there be truth to this saying. Apples are no doubt good for us, they are full of nutrients that help our bodies. However, can eating an apple everyday really prevent me from getting sick and having to go to the doctor? It may seem a little far-fetched, but there could be truth to this old saying.

It is no big secret that apples are good for us, in fact they have a lot of different health benefits, some of which people may not be aware of. According to Best Health apples have many benefits including healthier teeth and heart, reducing the risk of cancer and diabetes, lowering cholesterol, and strengthening your immune system. This shows that apples are certainly beneficial for us to eat, however the real question is if they will “keep the doctor away”. Amy Hunter believes that despite an apple’s benefits, it is still not enough to keep us healthy and not need the doctor. She says that our diet alone can not prevent us from getting sick. Also other fruits can provide just as many health benefits as apples. Our best chance to stay healthy is too have a diet that consists of many healthy foods including many different types of foods, and not just apples, that way we will get all the different nutrients to help keep our body healthy. Even with all this, we could still get sick and need to go to the doctor, so we should do what we can to be healthy, but still be prepared to see a doctor if we get sick.

A study was done by Dr. Arjmandi to determine the health benefits of apples. He split 160 women into two groups, one received dried apples everyday and the other received dried prunes everyday for a year. The results at the end showed a large decrease in bad cholesterol in the women that ate the apples and even a little bit of an increase in good cholesterol. Also the women that ate the apples lost an average of 3.3 pounds. Once again this proves that apples an have a significant impact on increasing our health. Dr. Arjmandi believes that the saying is true and that an apple a day can keep the doctor away.

While it is clearly evident that apples are very good for us, I still would have to say that the saying is false and that eating an apple a day will not keep the doctor away. However, it is certainly a good place to start. With all the nutrients apples give us, they can make us much healthier and less likely to get sick, but will not keep us out of the doctors office for sure. It seems that the saying we all heard as a kid is false, but I think that moms should continue to say it to their kids because apples are no doubt a very good thing for kids to have.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/04/110412131923.htm

http://www.besthealthmag.ca/best-eats/nutrition/15-health-benefits-of-eating-apples/

http://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/health-myths/an-apple-a-day1.htm

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