Brightly colored and firm apples

Ellen Says:----I love apples and thankfully they love me and my kids too! Apples are so versatile and quite an amazing little fruit. We’ve all heard the old adage that, “An apple day keeps the doctor away,” but guess what? It’s true!

Apples in some studies have shown to help lower certain cancer risks. Reduced risk of lung cancer in women, for example, has been associated with daily consumption of apples, and apples were the only specific fruit that showed this beneficial association with lung cancer. From a fairly large collection of laboratory studies and studies on animals, there is good reason to believe that apples may be helpful in reducing risk of colon cancer and breast cancer as well, even though it will take a series of human studies to see if these benefits hold true for people and under what circumstances.

When buying apples, whichever variety you prefer, always look for those that are brightly colored and firm and always avoid bruised and mushy apples. You should store your apples in the refrigerator. Cool storage keeps them from losing the natural moisture that makes them crisp. It also keeps them from turning brown inside. To prevent browning when slicing apples for a recipe, simply put the slices in a bowl of cold water to which a spoonful of lemon juice has been added. For use in future recipes, sliced apples freeze well in plastic bags or containers.