An apple (or more!) a day

A walk through the Saturday-morning farmers’ market will tell you that this is a good time of year to buy fresh, crisp, juicy apples. Besides their yummy taste, there are a number of health-promoting reasons to eat apples. Here, according to Canadian magazine, Better Health, are a few of those reasons:

• Keep teeth healthy: “Biting and chewing an apple stimulates the production of saliva in your mouth, reducing tooth decay by lowering levels of bacteria.”

• Fight aging and avoid Alzheimer’s: Mice fed a diet enhanced with apples “showed higher levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and did better in maze tests than those on a regular diet.”

• Reduce risk of cancer: The consumption of apples can help reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to 23 percent, according to American Association for Cancer Research scientists; similarly, Cornell University researchers have identified compounds in the peels of apples that have strong anti-growth effects on breast-, colon- and liver-cancer cells.

• Strengthen your immune system: The antioxidant found in red apples—quercetin—“can help boost and fortify your immune system, especially when you’re stressed out.”

Go to www.tinyurl.com/appleben for more health benefits of eating apples.