It’s apple season!

Apples are incredibly healthy and can provide you with a large range of benefits when consumed regularly. Fortunately, they also happen to be delicious and very versatile, which means they’re something that most of us can add to our diet without too much trouble. In fact, once you get a taste for fresh apple juice, apple sauce or smoothie you might find yourself wanting to get as much apple as possible!

But are all apples made equally? If you want the most nutritious apple, then which type should you eat? What are the benefits that you can get from apple in the first place? And what about organic apples vs conventional apples?  Let’s take a look…

Top Benefits of Eating Apple

Before we answer the question ‘what is the healthiest apple’, let’s first take a look at some of those purported health benefits of apples.

Immune Boosting

Apples can also boost the immune system thanks to the antioxidant properties in them and particularly the vitamin C content. This is what gave rise to the saying ‘an apple a day, keeps the doctor away’!

Recovery Enhancing

While it’s unlikely that the humble apple is going to become the next big-selling gym supplement (though it totally should), it does actually hold some benefits when it comes to athletic performance. In particular, apples are very good at boosting recovery and this is thanks to their impressive vitamin C content which has been shown to boost muscle recovery.

Full of Fiber

Apple skin in particular is an excellent source of fiber – so if you’re having a smoothie make sure you add the skin too. These non-digestible compounds from the fiber can help to improve your blood pressure, remove bad cholesterol and clear out the bowels to improve digestive health, which is great for healthy living!

Oh, and that fiber is also actually quite good for your teeth while chewing apples has been shown to increase production of saliva. So definitely consider adding apple skin into your diet.

Brain Boosting

Consuming apples on a regular basis has been shown to increase levels of the all-important neurotransmitter (brain hormone) called acetylcholine. This is the main ‘stimulatory’ of the brain that increases brain activity across all areas.

Cardiovascular Benefits

Some research has indicated that eating apples may provide some cardiovascular benefits, which is good news for anyone who wants to avoid conditions like heart disease. Apples have also been studied for their potential benefit on regulating blood sugar levels. Wouldn’t it be great if apples were some day known not only for their great taste, but also their disease prevention capabilities?

But Which is the Healthiest Apple?

So, apples are good for you. Like, really good.

But not every apple is the same  and there is going to be nutritional differences between them. So which is the most nutritious apple from the many apple varieties available?

According to a relatively recent study that was conducted by researchers at the University of Western Australia, the answer might be the Pink Lady variety. That’s in terms of antioxidant flavonoids at least.

What’s a flavonoid you ask? They’re essentially a large range of water-soluble nutritional compounds that come from plant based foods primarily. They are well known to be able to combat the damage caused by free radicals which in turn can help prevent a range of health issues.

The more antioxidant flavonoids you get in your diet, the more you can repair cell damage and inflammation and Pink Lady apples are filled with antioxidants!

How to Get the Most Nutrition from Your Apple

ALL of these are found in apples. They are especially abundant in pink lady apples and that’s why this is the healthiest apple. If you can’t find pink lady apples, then any red apples will generally be healthier than green apples. But all apples are good.

And note that there are other factors that will also contribute to which is the healthiest apple. For one, there’s the way the apple is grown and even the location. You can actually get nutrition from the soil! Note as well that it is probably best to seek out organic apples where possible instead of conventionally grown apples. Much of the nutritional value in apples is found in the skin and just under it and as such, you need to make sure you’re not peeling your apples. Conventional apples (non-organic) may have been sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers however, which means the skin might contain some minor toxins. Where possible, eat the whole apple but choose organic!

But however you eat them and whatever you do, consider that apples are super good for you. They might just improve your performance in the gym and at work, boost your energy levels, improve weight loss and keep colds and illnesses at bay!

Some of the most popular types of apples people like to eat are listed below. But even if you don’t prefer these types of apples that’s not a problem as there are lots of other great varieties to consider.

• granny smith apples
• other green apples
• red delicious apples
• golden delicious apples
• pink lady apples

Basically there is no “bad apple”, unless of course you’re talking about an apple that has gone rotten. So pick one up and start eating apples today to enjoy a healthy lifestyle.