Fruit of the month: Apples

You know what they say about apples and doctors, right? Researchers actually put the old adage to the test a few years ago, using nutrition data from nearly 8,400 people — including 753 who said they ate an apple every day. But while daily apple eaters appeared to use fewer prescription medications, they weren’t less likely to go to health care appointments than the other people in the study.

But in 2020, an article in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition that included 16 studies involving apple consumption found an array of heart-related benefits. Eating one medium apple a day may help lower blood pressure, cholesterol, and inflammation, the authors concluded. Unpeeled apples are good sources of both fiber and compounds called polyphenols that benefit heart health.

Popular apple varieties include Red Delicious, McIntosh, Fuji, Gala, and Honeycrisp, but more than 100 varieties are grown commercially in this country. Store apples in your refrigerator to keep them fresh. Apples are handy, nutritious snacks, especially paired with peanut butter or low-fat cheese. But you can also tuck chunks or slices of these crisp fruits in all sorts of dishes, including whole-grain pancakes, sandwiches, and salads.