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Tasty Tips

Get the most nutrition from your apple

By Tanya Zuckerbrot , Fox News
Published | Updated
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(iStock)

Next time you grab an apple be sure to eat it skin and all. Along with the tangy sweet fruit you definitely want the nutrients you’ll get in the peel.

Vitamins

An apple’s skin is loaded with vitamin A, which promotes healthy vision and cell growth, and vitamin C, which supports a strong immune system and boosts collagen production for healthy skin. The peel also contains Vitamin K, which helps the blood coagulate, and folate, which the body uses in the formation of new cells.

Minerals

According to the University of Illinois, apple peels are an excellent source of important minerals, including calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. Calcium and phosphorus promote strong bones and teeth, while potassium supports healthy cell, heart and digestive function.

Fiber

Apple peels contain both soluble and insoluble fiber, and about two-thirds of the fiber in an apple is in the skin. Fiber has many health benefits, from lowering cholesterol and aiding digestion to promoting satiety that helps with weight control.  An average-size apple with its skin contains 4.4 g of fiber and you’ll lose half if you peel it.

Antioxidants

The skin of an apple is packed with powerful phytochemicals like flavonoids and phenolic acids that help the body fight free radicals that damage cells and contribute to disease.  Eat your apple with the skin and you benefit from compounds called triterpenoids that help fight cancers, such as liver, colon and breast cancer.

Did you know? 

Biting and chewing an apple is good for your smile?  The fiber in apple skin stimulates the production of saliva, which helps fight tooth decay by lowering bacteria levels in your mouth.  Another plus: the malic acid in apples helps dissolve stains.

For more tips, delicious high fiber meal plans, recipes, and proven ways to lose weight and look great, check out my new book The Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear – with Fiber!  

Tanya Zuckerbrot MS, RD, is a registered dietitian in New York City and author of the Miracle Carb Diet: Make Calories and Fat Disappear – with fiber as well as the bestselling F-Factor Diet. Follow Tanya on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, and visit her website Ffactor.com.