Eat apples to relieve menstrual pain, lose weight, and prevent dementia! Eating before meals and with the skin has many benefits

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Eating apples has many health benefits. In recent years, we often hear that apples can stop diarrhea, lose weight, relieve menstrual pain, fight cancer, protect the heart, and prevent dementia! It can be said to be a "universal fruit", and some people even say that apples are the "fruit of wisdom" and the "fruit of memory". What amazing nutrients do apples contain? Also, if you want to get the full energy from apples, should you eat them before or after meals? And should I eat it with the skin? Let’s listen to the nutritionist’s detailed explanation below.

Apples are sweet and delicious, crisp and juicy, rich in nutrients, and have therapeutic effects. Apples are also low in calories, containing only 49 calories per 100 grams. Nutritionist Gao Minmin said, first of all, let's reveal the 10 magical nutrients in apples that are beneficial to human health:

[Top 10 nutritional ingredients of apples]

❶Apple polyphenols: The polyphenols in ripe apples are mainly chlorogenic acid, catechins, and proanthocyanidins, which have strong antioxidant, anti-tumor, anti-allergic properties, and can also inhibit the oxidation of bad cholesterol. At the same time, they have the effect of lowering cholesterol and inhibiting cholesterol oxidation, thus forming a double-layer protective effect on the blood vessels.

❷Malic acid: Apples contain 17 kinds of amino acids, 7 of which are needed by the human body but cannot be synthesized by itself. Fruit acid can help digestion, stabilize blood sugar and prevent diabetes in the elderly.

❸Folic acid: It is a member of the B vitamins. Sufficient daily intake of folic acid can help prevent strokes, heart attacks, and regulate psychological and mental disorders.

❹Vitamin C: Vitamin C helps inhibit skin melanin, helps fade spots and helps beautify the skin.

❺Pectin: Apple pectin is a water-soluble dietary fiber that helps maintain a good bacterial phase in the intestines, helps the body's metabolism and environmental protection, and helps achieve two-way regulation of intestinal peristalsis.

❻Potassium: Apples contain potassium ions, which have a diastolic effect, can regulate blood pressure, protect the cardiovascular system, and reduce the incidence of stroke.

❼ Zinc: It can help the synthesis of nucleic acids DNA and RNA in the cell nucleus, especially enhancing the white blood cells in the immune system

❽Lycopene & anthocyanin: a fat-soluble natural antioxidant found in vegetables and fruits that can reduce the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease.

❾Flavonoids: Studies have shown that regular intake of flavonoids contained in apples can reduce the mortality rate caused by coronary artery disease.

❿Resveratrol: It is a non-flavonoid phenolic substance that has anti-inflammatory properties, helps resist damage from free radicals, and prevents cell mutations.

Eating apples can help relieve menstrual pain, help lose weight, and prevent dementia.

Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that apples contain the mineral magnesium, which helps relax muscles and nerves and helps relieve menstrual cramps; they are rich in dietary fiber, which can assist in weight loss; in particular, the "quercetin" in apple peel has strong antioxidant properties. This is the yellow pigment in apples, which not only has strong antioxidant properties to help with anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation, but can also relieve allergy symptoms; most importantly, experiments have shown that moderate supplementation can also prevent dementia.

As for whether you should eat apples with the skin? Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that apple peel has high nutritional value. In addition to being rich in dietary fiber and vitamin C that are well known to the public, it is also rich in phytochemicals, quercetin and flavonoids, which have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. However, most of these precious nutrients are found in the peel. If you want to supplement phytochemicals, it is recommended to eat it with the skin so as not to miss out on natural nutrients!

Apple peel contains fiber that helps with bowel movements and quercetin that protects lung function

Apple peel also contains soluble and insoluble fiber, which can increase stool bulk and relieve constipation. Apple peel contains a flavonoid called quercetin, which can help the lungs function better, as well as minerals such as potassium, calcium, folic acid, iron and phosphorus. These nutrients can help the body's systems function properly.

However, everyone knows that there is wax on the skin of apples. If it is "industrial wax" used by unscrupulous manufacturers to save costs, you need to pay attention to the possible harm to your body. It is recommended that you wipe the apple skin with a paper towel when purchasing. If there is color stain, it may be industrial wax. If it is foggy and less bright and reflective, it is natural fruit wax and can be eaten safely.

Eating apples before meals can increase satiety and help control weight

Should apples be eaten before or after meals? Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that eating an apple about half an hour before a meal can help you feel full because of the water-soluble dietary fiber and water in the apple. This can delay gastric emptying and increase the feeling of fullness, thereby inhibiting meal intake and helping with weight control! When you need to control your food intake while losing weight, eating apples before meals can help you avoid overeating. The apples are also rich in dietary fiber, which can help regulate your blood sugar.

In fact, generally healthy people can eat fruit at any time, as long as it suits their eating habits. They can eat fruit before or after meals. There are two schools of thought: some people believe that eating fruit after meals can help digestion, while others believe that eating fruit before meals can help detoxification. Nutritionist Gao Minmin said that if you want to help digestion after meals, you can eat some fruits rich in enzymes, such as pineapple, kiwi, papaya, etc. If you want to detoxify and enhance metabolism, you can eat fiber-rich and relatively mild fruits on an empty stomach, such as apples, guava, and dragon fruit.

[Nutritionist's Tips]:

Finally, a reminder: when eating fruit, diabetic patients need to pay attention to the total sugar intake. It is recommended to eat a fist-sized piece of fruit between meals, or cut it into pieces and place 80% full in a bowl. It is best to eat about two hours apart from the main meal to avoid high blood sugar due to excessive sugar.