National Eat a Red Apple Day is observed annually on December 1.
As the adage goes, “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and today is a perfect time to put that theory to taste.
An apple is both delicious and nutritious. With over 7,500 varieties of apples and over 7.5% of the world’s production coming from the USA, apples are widely available.
- Red apples became a huge hit after Johnny Appleseed traveled through North America. For those of you who didn’t know, Johnny Appleseed, also known as John Chapman, was the American pioneer who showed Pennsylvania, Ontario, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and West Virginia the deliciousness of red apple trees.
- This relationship dates all the way back to 1667 when John Milton interpreted Genesis in “Paradise Lost.” According to NPR, Milton’s version of the age old story depicts Eve eating a red apple from the tree of knowledge after the snake tempts her to learn more about the world she lived in. Because of this, apples have long been associated with knowledge.
- Apples increase levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which increases brain activity. The University of Massachusetts Lowell did a study on mice where they fed them apple slices and apple juice. They noticed that not only did the apples fight the effects of aging, but the mice could also make it out of the maze faster.
- Red Apples contain high amounts of fiber, which not only make them great for your digestive system, but they also help fight the breakdown of nerve cells, according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation.
- Diabetes occurs in the body when a person’s blood sugar spikes and bows irregularly. Insulin is the direct regulator of glucose (sugar) in the blood. Another huge contributor to Type 2 Diabetes stems from obesity. So, a way to regulate this on both fronts – blood sugar and weight gain – is by eating more apples. Apples contain the fiber necessary to make a difference. However, you’ll need more than one apple a day to make said difference.
- There are more than 2,500 varieties of apples grown in the U.S. That means if you had apple a day, it would take you nearly seven years to eat each kind.
- There are more than 7,500 varieties of apples grown around the world. It would take you more than 20 years to try them all if you ate one a day!
- It takes two pounds of apples to make one nine-inch apple pie.
- Pomology is the science of apple growing.
- Ever wondered why apples float? It’s because 25 percent of their volume is made up by air.
- On average, apples contain 4.5 grams of fiber. It takes nearly two servings of Metamucil to get that same amount of fiber.
- Only one type of apple is native to the U.S.: The crabapple.
- Apple seeds contain a cyanide compound.
- It takes roughly 36 apples to make one gallon of apple cider.
- The average person eats 65 apples each year.
- Apples are thought to have originated in central Asia.
- Malusdomesticaphobia is the fear of apples.
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