For additional information on suppliers of apples or crop information contact: Stephanie Wise, NCDA Marketing Division, 570 Brevard Road, Asheville, NC 28806. Phone 704-253-1691 or Fax 252-2025. E-Mail Address is stephanie.wise@ncagr.gov.
THE HEALTH AND NUTRITION STORY OF APPLES
By: F. P. Corey, Director of Public Relations International Apple Institute, Washington, D.C.
Apples provide bulk in the diet for the proper functioning of the body's digestive and regulatory systems. Pectin and hemicellulose and the acid-base ratio contribute to this. Pectin and mild acids help fight body toxins, aid digestion and pep up the whole body system. Apples are rich in pectin. Pectin too has been associated with helping to keep cholesterol levels in balance and in this relationship is felt to be significant in helping to reduce the incidence of certain types of heart disease. The high potassium...low sodium ratio in apples is also important in certain cardiac and renal problems as well as in diet for overweight persons.
Studies have shown that persons eating apples regularly have fewer headaches and other illnesses associated with nervous tension. Other studies have demonstrated an association of regular apple consumption with a reduced in incidence of colds and other upper respiratory ailments. While much research remains to be done to determine precisely why apples are so healthful, the age-old adage, "An Apple A Day...", is being more and more clearly substantiated.
Apples are the "Smile Fruit" and "Nature's Toothbrush". The mild fibrous texture of the apple and its non-adherent nature; its juice content; its flavorful, mouth-watering appeal to accelerate salivary action all combine to make it a wonderful natural aid for cleansing the teeth and mouth of other more adherent-type foods and forgiving the teeth and mouth a fresh, clean feeling. Chewing an apple exercises the gums and teeth and facial muscles, too. Studies have shown markedly fewer dental caries, particularly during the six to sixteen caries prone age, when apples are eaten regularly in lieu of excessive amounts of candies and pastries and soft drinks which may leave harmful residues on the teeth for long periods of time.
Dental educational authorities stress the importance of thorough brushing and flossing at least once each day to control plaque buildup on the teeth, but they also encourage apples for snacks and for ending the meal... for better dental health and for better nutrition.
Studies have shown that apple juice for infants, because of its mild nature and low acid content is less irritating than fruit juices of higher acid content, and more readily accepted and digested by infants, and causes less colic and rash-related disorders.
Apples contain modest amounts of nearly all of the most important nutrients and because of their universal flavor appeal, versatility and convenience for use, and near year 'round availability, nutritionists and dietitians rate them high on any list for eating right and staying fit. They are good for your teeth, your stomach, your skin and complexion, your nerves, your smile, your overall good health. That's why we say, Apples are good - and good for you.
The Life and Legend of
Johnny Appleseed
1774-1845
Yes, Johnny Appleseed was a real living person. His name was John Chapman. He was born in Leominster, Massachusetts, September 26, 1774. His father, Nathaniel Chapman was one of the Minutemen at Concord and later served as a Captain in the Revolutionary War. His mother, Elizabeth Simons Chapman, died in 1776 while his father was still in service. After the war his father married again and John spent his early years in and around Longmeadow, Massachusetts.
Details of his boyhood are scanty at best. In his early twenties he traveled to the frontier country of northwestern Pennsylvania near the little settlement of Warren and from there history records his travels, his work and his legend westward throughout the Ohio country and beyond.
For nearly fifty years John Chapman helped America grow up in the frontier country that is now Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, Indiana, and fringes of other states. He was a firm believer and missionary in the Swedenborgian Christian faith. He was a nurseryman with a love for apples which resulted, over his life span, in the clearing of many acres of wilderness, largely in one to five acre plots, where he planted and tended apple trees to be sold, traded, bartered and given away to the frontier farmers throughout the broad Ohio country where he traveled. Johnny Appleseed died near Fort Wayne, Indiana in March 1845, not too long before another spring would have brought another bounty of the apple blossoms he loved. He was 71. Still traveling. Still tending his apple tree nurseries. Still preaching "News right fresh from Heaven". Still helping his fellowman.
When he ended his fifty year odyssey throughout the midwestern United States. John Chapman had become a living legend in American folklore. Like many of those in this deposit of Americana. Johnny Appleseed was a real person who actually lived in the days of the frontier settlement. Unlike many of his folklore counterparts, however, he really performed the heroic acts that are the substance of his legend.
During his sojourn John Chapman became known for his courage and his dedication to his fellow man, as well as for the apple orchards he planted.
Part poet-philosopher, part mystic, out of phase with the goals and aspirations of his contemporaries, but infinitely attuned to the larger harmony of the universe. Johnny Appleseed occupies a special place in the long line of dreamers, innovators, and statesman who have contributed to America's greatness.
Return to Apple Page