Will an apple a day keep the Doctor away for women during their menopause transition? If we follow the research on the effect of a whole apple (including the skin) on our gut microbiome, then yes, we will help both our gut and our heart health as we move through menopause.
Apples represent the most important dietary source for various flavonoids in our diets and research suggests that apples offer a beneficial impact on human health. [Wasserman et al, 2019]. The soluble fibre in apples, is the same kind as in oat bran, which means that this helps to remove cholesterol deposits in the colon.
They are also a rich source of polyphenols and fibre. Their role in gut health is due to a major proportion of the apple polyphenols escaping absorption in the small intestine and moving towards the colon, where they serve as substrates for bacterial fermentation. [Koutsas et al, 2017]
Apples are one of the most highly consumed fruits in the world and I try to have one nearly every day. But there is more to apples and improved midlife health and this is because they are a great source of the anti-inflammatory nutrient, called Quercetin.
I’ve written about this nutrient in the past, especially in relation to our immune health.
“Apples are a widely consumed, rich source of phytochemicals, and epidemiological studies have linked the consumption of apples with reduced risk of some cancers, cardiovascular disease, asthma, and diabetes. In the laboratory, apples have been found to have very strong antioxidant activity, inhibit cancer cell proliferation, decrease lipid oxidation, and lower cholesterol.” [Boyer & Hai Liu, 2004].
It’s the skin of apples that contains the most quercetin, which is just one anti-inflammatory nutrient that you will benefit from daily.
The skin of apples also has the most cholesterol and fat-lowering constituents. When my weight and LDL cholesterol (that’s the bad one), reached an all-time high in my early 50s, I learnt about apples and apple skin and how beneficial apples were for liver and cardiovascular health.
For those of you who wish to lose weight, lower your cholesterol, reduce risk of cancer, manage diabetes and reduce liver fat, then how about you chomp on at least 1-2 small apples a day?
You could also make this delicious apple crumble, which the entire family will adore. I don’t even peel the apples now when I make it. Knowing how beneficial the skin is, I just keep it on.
This delicious apple crumble has been a family favourite for as long as I can remember. It’s so easy to make it healthy, as you really don’t need the refined sugar that my mother used to put into this delicious dessert. When you are stewing the apples, make some extra and have them on your oats the next morning. Enjoy!
AN OLD FAMILY FAVOURITE: Wendy’s Apple Crumble
Ingredients:
- 3-5 apples depending on size, chopped (I prefer Granny Smith apples for their flavour and sometimes I also add a couple of winter pears).
- 1 1/2 cups oats
- 1/2 cup desiccated coconut
- 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
- Finely chopped almonds or walnuts
- 50g butter, chopped
- 2 Tbsp honey
- A handful of raisins
- Whipped Cream or plain Greek Yoghurt for serving.
Method:
- Heat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (350 Fahrenheit).
- Chop apples into slices (remove core) and cook them in a pot with about 1 cup of water until soft (approximately 10 minutes). I also squeeze the juice of a lemon over them so they don’t go brown, and no longer add any sugar.
- In a bowl, mix together the oats, coconut and nuts. Place the chopped butter in the bowl and kneed the mixture together with your fingers until it forms a crumble mixture which is slightly moist.
- Lightly butter the baking dish and place the stewed apples in the baking dish, covering the bottom of the dish. Layer the raisins on top and sprinkle over the cinnamon. Then spoon over the honey. Place the crumble mixture over the top.
- Bake until the crumble is slightly brown. Approximately 15 minutes.
Serve yours with a small amount of whipped cream, or low-fat natural Greek Yoghurt, which don’t contain sugar, but if the rest of the family want vanilla ice-cream with it, then they can.
