An Apple a Day

The first piece of nutrition advice I remember receiving, besides "Stop jumping around and sit down to eat your meal" from my late Lolo (which is Filipino for Grandad), was

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Now, I'm not sure an apple a day is enough medication to keep the doctor away, although there is so much an apple has to offer.

Working with kids, and really adults too, for the past couple of years, I've come to realize telling someone to eat 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day was not going to cut it. They say kids are picky, but I've met more than my share of adults who are as well. If I had a penny for every time I heard "But he/she doesn't like fruits and/or vegetables", I'm pretty sure I'd be rich. So, I'd like to not only help expose the true power of foods but also show just how versatile foods really are. Just because I say "Eat your vegetables", does not mean you have to have a cup of plain steamed broccoli on your plate(although, steamed broccoli is delish). Each food item has so much to share, so I'll try to focus on one aspect rather than write a thesis on every nutrient.

Which brings me to our first topic: Apples!

Doctor repellent?

Besides Vitamin C (we'll revisit later), raw apples are an excellent source of dietary fiber. One small apple contains 12% of your daily dose of dietary fiber, more than in 1 slice of whole wheat bread. Dietary fiber cannot be digested or absorbed in the body and passes through intact. This allows for fiber to encourage regular bowel movements, which in turn maintains intestinal health. The fiber apples contain is called pectin which is a soluble fiber, meaning it dissolves in water. Soluble fiber can help lower cholesterol and blood glucose. Pectin also contains a substance that decreases insulin needs, which can help in the management of diabetes. And that's just the fiber part of it! Go apples!

I do have to mention this really cool statistic I recently stumbled upon: Several studies have shown that the regular consumption of apples was found to reduce the risk of several types of cancer anywhere from 17 to over 50 percent!

Now, to the Yum-O part! The cooking! I love fuji apples just as they are, and being fall, apples are in season! Alright cheap apples! But there are so many ways to prepare apples other than just eating them raw. Apple pie (a la mode), apple muffins, apple tarts, apples and baked brie, apple butter (my fave)... oh, gosh, I'm getting so hungry! Good thing I bought some apples to make today's dish:



Mom's Cinnamon Apple Pancakes 


Whole wheat pancakes can taste sort of bland, so spice them up with some apples and cinnamon!

• Pancake mix and ingredients (I used Fiber One buttermilk mix - extra fiber!)
• Apples - about 1 apple for every 4 pancakes
• Cinnamon
• Sugar

First, dice the apples to small pieces. Sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on the diced apples, and set aside. Create the batter for the pancakes according to the box. Grease the pan using spray and place the batter onto the pan. While one side of the batter is cooking, take about a tablespoon of the diced apples and spread it on top of the batter. Once one side of the pancake is done, flip it, but make sure there is enough grease on the pan before cooking the other side.

Voilà! Apple cinnamon pancakes! You can add whatever toppings you like to your pancakes. I like topping it off with extra diced apples and syrup, but Mom likes it with peanut butter and honey.

Mom's Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

I remember picking apples when visiting family up north. There's so many types of apples and they all have their own special tastes. Check out the Washington State Apple Commission website for more information on apples!

Finally, I love discovering new delectable recipes. Send me some of your apple recipes (or any recipe for that matter) if you have any and I'll make sure to post them!