Intro – International Eat an Apple Day
International Eat An Apple Day is held yearly on the third Saturday of September. A Pembrokeshire proverb (1866), “Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread,” is the forerunner to today’s common proverb, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” which was coined in 1913.
Eat an apple on going to bed, and you’ll keep the doctor from earning his bread.
1866
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
1913
History
The apple originated in central Asia, in the Tien Shan mountain range of Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan. This older wild apple featured prominently in the food and culture of the region it came from, and Kazakhstan’s Alma-Ata — now called Almaty, loosely meant ‘Father of Apples.’
Merchants using the Silk Road — a network of trade routes connecting China and the Far East to the Middle East and Europe — discovered these wild apples and were the reason this fruit spread to western Europe. From there, European settlers took the apple to America. As the story goes, the very first apple trees were planted in the Massachusetts Bay Colony by pilgrims. Over the years, these wild apples were cultivated and cross-pollinated to become the species we see in commercial farms today.
Varieties
An apple can be sweet or sour, and its flavor can vary depending on what type you’re eating.
There are many varieties, including:
- Red Delicious
- McIntosh
- Crispin
- Gala
- Granny Smith
- Fuji
- Honeycrisp
Apple Health Benefits
Apples can do a lot for you, thanks to plant chemicals called flavonoids. And they have pectin, a fiber that breaks down in your gut. If you take off the apple’s skin before eating it, you won’t get as much of the fiber or flavonoids.
Scientists give apples credit for helping:
- Your lung strength
- your heart
- with asthma
- bone health
- weight loss
- your brain (easing symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related memory loss)
- your immune system
- your gut health
How to Celebrate International Eat an Apple Day #EatAnAppleDay
- Enjoy an apple
It’s in the name! The best way to celebrate this day is to grab an apple of your choice and get eating. Try out new varieties, or eat apples with assorted condiments — peanut butter, honey, maple syrup — for a different experience. - Try out apple recipes
Maybe you are not into cooking, you could experiment with various yummy foods made from apples. Try out apple pies, drink apple juice or apple cider, or even make Polish apple pancakes. Go crazy and experiment. - Share the habit
Encourage people around you to eat apples too. Maybe you could hand them an apple, or even talk about this day and what it means. Share your knowledge and your healthy apple-eating habit to inspire a healthy food kick in people you know.
Apple Nutrition
Apples are low in sodium, fat, and cholesterol. They don’t offer protein, but apples are a good source of vitamin C and fiber.
One medium apple has about:
- 100 calories
- 25 grams of carbohydrates
- 4 grams of fiber
- 19 grams of sugar
- A variety of strong antioxidants
DATES
17 September 2022
16 September 2023
21 September 2024
20 September 2025
19 September 2026
18 September 2027
16 September 2028
15 September 2029
21 September 2030
Sources and Further Reading
Photos by:
- Mareefe (featured photo)
- Tom Swinnen
