Apples are the most commonly consumed fruit in Russia. This fruit, familiar from childhood, has high palatability and is also a good source of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, the inclusion of apples in the diet is good for health.
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The wild apple tree became one of the first fruit trees domesticated by man. About 200 years before our era, there were already 25 apple varieties. The homeland of the apple tree is considered the territory of modern Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan, from where it was first brought to Egypt and Palestine, and then Ancient Greece and Rome. In Russia, the first apple trees appeared in the 9th century. Currently, about 7500 varieties of apples have been bred.
Vitamins in apples
Most of all, apples are rich in powerful natural antioxidant vitamin C. It increases immunity, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, promotes the production of collagen and serotonin, and is involved in the formation of blood cells. The amount of ascorbic acid in an apple depends on its variety. Typically, sour green apples contain more vitamin C than sweet red and yellow fruits. The storage time of apples also affects the amount of ascorbic acid: the longer they are stored, the less vitamin C remains in them.
In addition to ascorbic acid, apples contain a complex of B vitamins (thiamine, riboflavin, pantothenic acid and pyridoxine), vitamin E, vitamin PP, vitamin K and carotene. The B-complex is necessary for the normal functioning of the nervous system and the implementation of important metabolic processes in the body. Vitamins A and E, as well as ascorbic acid, are strong antioxidants that prolong youth. Vitamin PP improves metabolism, heals the cardiovascular system and is involved in the synthesis of hormones. Vitamin K is important for the absorption of calcium, normal blood coagulation and kidney function.
Apples are also rich in other healthy substances, including various minerals (iron, potassium, copper, chromium, molybdenum, boron, vanadium, cobalt, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iodine, manganese, zinc, chlorine, sulfur, selenium), organic acids, dietary fiber, pectin, tannins and volatile.