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An apple a day

Written by Staff Reporter

Thursday, 16 September 2010

I went into the supermarket the other day to buy some of my favourite fruit of September... apples. Eating with the seasons generally means that you can have access to fresher ingredients for a cheaper price. However, I could not find one Irish apple! All of the apples from New Zealand and Chile, which was really disappointing. Why oh why can’t we get Irish apples when they are in season here and support our own local farmers?

I always think it’s a good idea to read the labels of your food, but I always check where fruit and vegetables come from. If you are lucky you can get your produce from a local farmer at a farmers market but not everyone has access to this. I have reduced down my intake of fruits and vegetables that have travelled long distances and buy Irish.

Apples really are a wonder, especially in terms of their fibre and anti-oxidants. They are good source of polyphenols (the antioxidants that make fruit and vegetables the bright colours that they are) and flavonoids (especially quercetin), which works well with Vitamin C. Quercetin is known to be a powerful anti inflammatory agent (making it great for those suffering from inflammatory diseases and heart disease) and especially good for sufferers of allergies. In addition, red apples also contain a special flavonoid, cyanidin 3-galactoside, that has been shown to be an extremely potent antioxidant.

So at this time of year, it’s a great idea to have a locally grown apple every day. Have as a snack with a small handful of nuts. Grate on your muesli to add moisture and flavour. Stew your apples, as I have done below and top with a little yogurt for a lovely dessert.

Homemade stewed apple

Most people tend to use sugar when they stew apple. What I tend to do is simply use eating apples as they are naturally sweet.

4 medium eating apples
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ teaspoon of dried ginger
A dash of ground nutmeg

Chop the apples into similar shaped cubes and place in a saucepan with a little water.
Add the spices and cook over a medium heat until soft.
Use as a base of a crumble or top with a little yogurt and toasted seeds.

If you want to know how a nutrition consultation would benefit you, contact me on This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 086-8179964

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