Wednesday, November 2, 2011

Eat Your Apples!

It’s apple season here in the North East! It’s one of my favorite things about fall in New York. Every time I go to the farmer’s market I am ecstatic to see bushels upon bushels of colorful apples. Needless to say I have been eating them non-stop recently. My favorites are Honeycrisp and Fuji apples. The crunchier and sweeter the better!
Apples live up to the old adage, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. Apples are rich in antioxidants and vitamin C. The phytonutrients and polyphenols in apples help to regulate blood sugar and lower cholesterol. The skin of the apple is where most of the nutrients are concentrated, so be sure to buy organic!
Apples are extremely cleansing due to their high fiber and water content. When eaten on an empty stomach, their natural detoxifying powers are maximized. According to food combining theory, fruits should always be eaten alone and on an empty stomach. This is because fruit digests very quickly due to the fact that fruit is comprised primarily of water. When the passage of fruit is blocked by slower digested foods, the fruit becomes trapped in the digestive tract. This makes the precious nutrients of fruit less available to the body, and can cause bloating and abdominal discomfort.
To maximize the amazing health benefits of fruits, such as apples, eat them on an empty stomach in the morning. This is when our bodies crave simple carbohydrates and natural sugars to provide energy after our nightly fast. Eating fruit in the morning extends our body’s natural daily cleansing cycle. Imagine the fiber and nutrients of an apple as a broom; sweeping through your digestive tract and cleaning out any leftover crud so that your body can efficiently process food throughout the rest of the day. Don’t worry, if you enjoy heartier breakfasts it’s fine to eat an apple and then 20 minutes later eat other foods too. If you want to eat fruit later in the day, just wait a few hours after a meal. Eating fruit alone will make you feel pure and energized!

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