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I can remember, as a child, my grandmother always telling me, “An apple a day, keeps the doctor away!” Both the American Produce for Better Health Foundation and the National Cancer Institute of America recommend a minimum of 5 servings of fruit per day to maintain a healthy diet. Part of this should definitely be composed of yummy apples! Believe it or not, 1 medium-sized apple contains no fat, cholesterol, or sodium (salt). It also gives you more fiber than a serving of oatmeal. The seeds have a bit of deadly hydrogen cyanide in them.
Apples are a good part of a vegetarian or vegan daily diet and should be a part of the rest of the world’s daily diets. It is cheaper to buy a child an apple than a candy bar. Teaching good diet regimes to children should be a part of their early training and parents can make that happen by making it a part of their daily diet.
Surveys have shown that survey also found that 100 percent apple juice is the fruit juice most often recommended as the first juice for infants. Parents are good about this with babies, but somewhere along the way the researchers found the following: “Research from the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences adds strong evidence to an ongoing debate about consumption of 100% fruit juice and finds that fruit juice consumption is not linked with problems related to overweight and growth problems in children.
After analyzing beverage consumption of more than 10,000 children from various age groups, the researchers found that while most children are within guidelines established by the American Academy of Pediatrics for juice intake, children's consumption of less nutritious beverages surpasses their intake of 100 percent juice as early as age 5.
"Consuming 100 percent fruit juice has been positively associated with children achieving recommended nutrient intakes," said Miami-based registered dietitian and ADA spokesperson Sheah Rarback. The research also identifies that at around age 7, children's consumption of 100 percent real juice flat-lines and is replaced with beverages that have significantly less or no nutritional value.”
Apple products have a nutrient/calorie ratio superior to many of the alternative snacks being consumed by children. One serving of apple juice (4-6 ounces) or unsweetened applesauce (1/2 cup) serves as a fruit exchange, according to the meal planning guidelines published jointly by the American Dietetic Association and American Diabetes Association. Similarly, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Food Guide Pyramid states that 100% juice can be substituted for other fruits.
Well, parents, apples and 100% apple juice will keep your children well from cradle to grave, so why not put apples and 100% apple juice back into their children’s diets? It’s cheaper than soda and healthier for them. In the fall, we can usually find fresh apple cider most anywhere. A fun day is to take the whole family out to a “U pick” apple orchard and most times you will find each place has a cooler that looks like this. Sliced apples and peanut butter are a great kid’s snack and we continue to eat that to this day at the ripe old age of 73.
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Author Bio Box: Arlene Wright Correll
 Resources: Excerpted from “Food For Thought Series” by Arlene Wright-Correll
For more gardening or cooking information click http://www.learn-america.com/ and click on Arlene’s Books you can download or buy my gardening & cook books. All my royalties from the sale of my books go to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and we thank you for your attention to this site.
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