The settlers brought apple seeds to America and since then they have grown to be the second most valuable crop in the United States, as well as one of the most favorite fruits. Whether you prefer sweet or tart, you'll benefit from the great nutrition found in apples. They are a rich source of dietary fiber, Vitamin C and healthy phytonutrients.
Definition
The nutrition information in this article is for one medium apple, including the skin, that is about 3 inches in diameter and weighs 182 grams (g). Nutrient values are provided by Nutrition Data, which uses values from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Basic Nutrition
One apple is 95 calories, contains 0.5 g of protein and 25.1 g of total carbohydrates. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, that represents 1 percent of the recommended daily value (DV) of protein and 8 percent DV of carbohydrates. Apples only have 0.3 g of fat, which is so small it provides less than 1 percent DV. Apples are a great source of dietary fiber. The total fiber of 4.4 g (17 percent DV) includes soluble and insoluble fiber. The soluble fiber helps prevent the buildup of cholesterol and the insoluble fiber provides bulk that moves food through the intestines.
Vitamins
Apples are a rich source of Vitamin C. Containing 8.4 mg, just one apple provides 14 percent DV. You'll also obtain between 1 to 4 percent DV of thiamin (0.031 mg), riboflavin (0.047 mg), niacin (0.2 mg), pantothenic acid (0.1 mg), Vitamin B6 (0.1 mg) and folate (5.5 micrograms). They also provide three of the fat-soluble vitamins; Vitamin A (98.3 IU or 2 percent DV), Vitamin E (0.3 mg or 2 percent DV) and Vitamin K (4.0 micrograms or 5 percent DV).
Minerals
Apples supply 195 mg, or 6 percent DV, of potassium. They also provide 1 to 3 percent DV of calcium (10.9 mg), iron (0.2 mg), magnesium (9.1 mg), phosphorus (20 mg), copper (0.049 mg) and manganese (0.1 mg). Apples are perfect if you're watching salt intake because they only have 1.8 mg of sodium, which is a trace amount.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are compounds that work as powerful antioxidants. Information provided by the Linus Pauling Institute (LPI) states that apples are one of the main sources of dietary flavonoids, providing about 22 percent of consumed flanovoids per person. Increasing consumption of apples is associated with a "decreased risk of heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and incidence of thrombotic stroke."
Phytosterols
One apple has 21.8 mg of phytosterols. Phytosterols are substances that are similar to cholesterol but they actually inhibit the absorption of cholesterol in the digestive tract, resulting in lower LDL ("bad" cholesterol) levels.
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