The apple was the first fruit mentioned in the bible, not always allowing the noble apple to prove the life enhancing powers it does possess. The pectin in the reddest apples has among the most antioxidants of any natural food. Science continues to show cases of high priced medications contain potent versions of what we are eating naturally all the while. A healthy recipe for healthy living does include the humble apple.

Apples come in a variety of excellent flavors, shapes, colors for us to choose from, in order to tantalize our taste buds, and encourages us to eat this great fruit right off the tree it was grown on.

Apples help our bodies fight cancer; studies have shown that there are several components in juicy fruit, such as apples, which help to prevent the growth of cancer cells. Healthy apples are most potent when the fruit is eaten whole, including the skin, and by choosing the darker apples, such as deep Red Delicious, Fuji, Jonathan, Rome Beauty and Red Spartan. Apples are a good source of vitamin C and fiber. Italian researchers found people who ate more than one apple a day lowered their risk for oral, esophageal, colon, breast, ovarian, prostate and other cancers by 9 to 42%.

Apples benefit our health by helping to fight cholesterol. Two key components, the pectin in the reddest apples and poly-phenols, which have the most anti-oxidants of any natural food, can help to lower cholesterol, and prevent the oxidation of LDL, which is the bad cholesterol. Bad cholesterol results from the chemical process that fills the arteries with clogging plaque. Save the apple skin; it has two to six times the antioxidants that the actual flesh of the apple has, science shows, and most of us need all the help we can get when it comes to healthy eating.

Apples make us smarter. Apples boost the production of acetylcholine, which is a chemical that transmits messages between nerve cells. In a recent study from the University of Massachusetts, researchers suggest that apples may keep your brain ’smarter’ as you age and the components help boost our memory, potentially lessening the possibility of getting Alzheimer’s disease.

You know the saying “An apple a day keeps the doctor away”. It may well be true that it is time to rethink this, and start eating your apples as a receipe for healthy living.

Apples help us to breathe easier. United Kingdom researchers found that children of pregnant women who ate apples during pregnancy, were less likely to wheeze or develop asthma by the age of five. This healthy fruit may also protect the lungs of adults, help in the prevention of asthma, lung cancer and other diseases.

Many people have eaten apples all their lives but ppeled for them in order to not take in all the pesticides used in apple growing. Recently, many have changed their thinking and have taken to organic, whenever possible, or washing the regular treated apples thoroughly, in order to eat the healthy peel. Organic is wonderful, but not always available.

The next reason to eat healthy apples daily is, that apples are a difficult food to eat; they require chewing a great deal, as they are dense and firm. This healthy food is packed with fiber, approximately five grams per apple, and is low in calories, approximately 80 for a medium sized apple. Apples contain a natural sugar which enters the bloodstream slowly, keeping our insulin levels steady; a much better choice than a sugary snack, which will give us a fast high, then a low in our sugar levels, creating hunger faster, as well as giving us little nutritional value.

Apples are truly a beneficial choice for healthy living. It is highly recommended you keep eating apples, as they are one of nature’s perfect foods, and after eating these gems, you will feel full longer, keep your cholesterol lower, be smarter, breathe easier, help to boost your memory, and keep your insulin at a decent level. What more could we ask from one healthy food?

Carole-Anne Stanway, a creative, healthy recipe cook for many years is now a Star Graduate of the New Grandma types, who cook with love, but not with trans fats. You, too, can learn this art of creativity, and challenge by making many healthy, tasty, inexpensive and often quick recipes, by viewing her site at healthyrecipes

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carole_Anne_Stanway

Food Focus: Chard

Chard is a leafy green vegetable often referred to as Swiss chard. Chard has a thick, crunchy stalk to which wide green leaves are attached. Depending upon the variety, the leaves may have lighter-colored ribs running throughout. The stalk, comes in a variety of colors including white, red, yellow and orange. Sometimes, in the market, different colored varieties will be bunched together and labeled “rainbow chard.”

Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares a similar taste profile: it has the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavor of spinach leaves. Both the leaves and stalk of chard are edible, although the stems vary in texture with the white ones being the most tender.

Chard is an excellent source of vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, magnesium, manganese, potassium, iron, vitamin E and dietary fiber. It is a very good source of copper, calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B6 and protein. In addition, Swiss chard is a good source of phosphorous, vitamin B1, zinc, folate, biotin, niacin and pantothenic acid.

Chard with Apples and Walnuts

Ingredients:
2 bunches chard washed and chopped (Swiss chard, green chard, rainbow chard)
1 red apple thinly sliced
1 TBS butter
Handful of walnuts

Cooking Instructions:
1.Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Add apples and sauté for approximately five minutes.
2. Add chard to the pan with 2 TBS of water. Cover the pan and cook for approximately five minutes, or until the chard is wilted. Stir/toss the chard and apples occasionally as they cook.
3.Sprinkle walnuts on top of the chard and apples and enjoy.

Women: are you sick and tired of feeling unhealthy and down on yourself?
If you are ready to make lasting lifestyle changes for yourself and your family, stop your war with food, and get healthy, Amy Lippmann, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, can help.

Sample Amy’s work by listening to a F*REE AUDIO, “Finally, How to Get Healthy Meals on the Table, In No Time.” You will also receive a complete transcript, pantry essentials list, her mix-and-match meal planning chart, healthy recipes, and much more.

Amy Lippmann, H.H.C., AADP
Certified Holistic Health Counselor
Coaching for Whole Body Wellness
http://www.WellnessHealthCoaching.com

© 2008 Amy Lippmann, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Want to use this article on your website or your own ezine? No problem! But here’s what you MUST include: Amy Lippmann, Certified Holistic Health Counselor, is founder of the Whole Body Wellness System™, the proven step-by-step program achieve your health goals and feel more confident in your body. To receive your freebie audio and sign up for her bi-weekly recipes and articles, visit http://www.WellnessHealthCoaching.com

Amy Lippmann is a Certified Holistic Health Counselor with a private health and lifestyle coaching practice. She works with women who are tired of continuously feeling bad about their health and struggle with feeling good in their body, energy level, cravings, and would like to figure out how to be healthy and take good care of themselves.

What makes her services unique is that she not only provides guidance, but also a level of support her clients have never had before. And because of this, Amy’s clients make lasting lifestyle changes, get peace and freedom around food so they can stop beating themselves up, and they enjoy life more.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Amy_Lippmann

The apple was the first fruit mentioned in the bible, not always allowing the noble apple to prove the life enhancing powers it does possess. The pectin in the reddest apples has among the most antioxidants of any natural food. Science continues to show cases of high priced medications contain potent versions of what we are eating naturally all the while. A healthy recipe for healthy living does include the humble apple.

Apples come in a variety of excellent flavors, shapes, colors for us to choose from, in order to tantalize our taste buds, and encourages us to eat this great fruit right off the tree it was grown on.

Apples help our bodies fight cancer; studies have shown that there are several components in juicy fruit, such as apples, which help to prevent the growth of cancer cells. Healthy apples are most potent when the fruit is eaten whole, including the skin, and by choosing the darker apples, [Read more →]