Apples
No biblical food is more famous and none has gotten a worse rap than the apple – despite
the fact that Adam and Eve probably didn’t even see an apple, much less munch on one.
The Bible never says exactly what fruit the serpent used to tempt Eve in the Garden of
Eden. Tradition holds that it was an apple, but many scholars who have studied the
botany of the Bible think it was more likely an apricot – maybe even a citron, an orange or
a quince, a central Asian fruit that resembles a hard-fleshed yellow apple.
But else where in the Bible, the apple gets high marks for its healthful, healing powers
that modern science has since confirmed.
The Ancient Greeks who lived during Biblical times believed the apple healed all ailments.
An Arabic author from the same era wrote: “Its scent cheers my soul, renews my strength
and restores my breath.”
An article in American Medicine magazine has praised the apple as “… therapeutically
effective in all conditions of acidosis, gout, rheumatism, jaundice, all liver and gallbladder
troubles, nervous and skin diseases caused by sluggish liver, hyper-acidity and states of
auto-intoxication.”
Modern researchers at Michigan State University call the apple “… the all-around health
food.” Here are some of the potent healing powers of apples:
• They lower both bad cholesterol and high blood pressure
• The juices in apples are highly effective virus fighters
• They help stabilize blood sugar, an important factor in controlling diabetes.
• They suppress the appetite without robbing the body of necessary nutrients.
• Depending on the need, they prevent constipation or help treat diarrhea.
Nutritionists suggest that eating two or three apples a day can boost the body’s protection
against heart disease, thanks to the fruit’s amazing ability to reduce blood pressure and
lower dangerously high cholesterol levels. In fact, they say, the higher the cholesterol, the
greater the benefits will be if you increase your consumption of apples. Apples also
contain chemicals that scientists believed are vital in stopping cancer, and they also
prevent tooth decay.
The apple’s ability to keep our hearts healthy and pumping has been confirmed by U.S.,
French and Italian researchers, among others. An animal study at the Institute of
Physiology in France came to the startling conclusion that a diet heavy in apples actually
lowered heart-damaging cholesterol levels anywhere from 28 to 52 points.
One reason for this may be the pectin in the apple – that soluble fiber that is usually
squeezed out to make jelly. The French researchers discovered that the pectin, acting
with vitamin C and other natural chemicals in the apple, also forms a fortress-like shield
around the heart that prevents cardiovascular disease.
In another study, when a group of 30 middle-aged men added three apples per day to
their diets – without changing anything else 80% of them showed a significant reduction
in cholesterol levels from 10 – 20 percent.
Even more surprising was the fact that the apple boosted the HDL, or “good” cholesterol
in the blood, while reducing the LDL, or “bad” cholesterol, that’s responsible for clogging
up the arteries, a condition that can lead to fatal heart attacks or disabling strokes.
However, for some mysterious reason, an apple-rich diet lowers cholesterol more
efficiently in women than men.
Apples are an excellent food source for diabetics and others who need to control blood
sugar levels. They rank high among foods that best control blood sugar. Even though the
apple is a rich source of natural sugar, it does not cause a rapid or dangerous rise in blood
sugar. Also, it prevents the body from pumping out too much insulin which, in turn, helps
bring down blood cholesterol and blood pressure.
Some people just have to smell an apple to get the benefit. Scientists at the prestigious
Yale University’s Psychophysiology Center discovered that the scent of spiced apples
produces a calming effect which helps to lower blood pressure. Researchers have noted
that apple eaters also suffered far fewer stress-related illnesses.
Whole apples (as opposed to just the juice) are great for dieters. The rise in blood glucose
levels that occurs when you eat an apple makes you feel fuller.
In addition, the apple juice helps keep you healthy and it helps during the healing process
– especially if your are suffering from colds or viruses. People who eat apples regularly
have far fewer colds and upper respiratory problems. In a Michigan State study of 1,300
students, those who regularly ate apples over a three-year period made one-third fewer
visits to the campus health center than non-apple eaters.
There are also indications that apples may fight certain types of cancer. The reason
appears to be that apples are loaded with natural acids that have successfully blocked
cancer formation in laboratory studies.
Remember that to get the best health benefit, you have to eat the whole thing, skin and
all. The skin contains the high level of pectin fiber, which seems to be the basis for the
fruit’s amazing powers.
The apple may also be the only healing food capable of taking care of two opposite
complaints at the same time – constipation and diarrhea. First, apples or applesauce have
been used for centuries to help people get back on a regular diet after suffering bouts of
diarrhea. The pectin in the apple fiber apparently is the healing factor, which explains why
it is included in Kaopectate, an over-the-counter diarrhea remedy.
Also, that same fiber is what dietitians have been telling us for decades is absolutely
necessary to keep us regular and to prevent constipation.
Finally, apples are not only a superb healing food, but, as nature’s original toothbrushes,
they may even prevent cavities. The people of Biblical times probably learned that through
trial and error, but modern day researchers have confirmed that fact in the laboratory.
Scientists in Norway found that children who ate apples had cleaner teeth than those who
did not, and they also had significantly less risk of tooth decay.
The Bible’s wise King Solomon knew what he was talking about when he said, “Comfort
me with apples, for I am sick…”
