New tests find apples are super
sources of antioxidants, including one called procyanidins, also abundant in
red wine and chocolate. Red Delicious apples averaged 208 milligrams of
procyanidins each, compared with 165mg in a 1.3-ounce chocolate bar and 22mg
in 3 1/2 ounces of red wine, according to a new analysis by Harold H.
Schmitz, Ph.D., a leading researcher on procyanidins.
Antioxidants are more concentrated
in the skin than in the pulp, so it’s smart to eat the skin. Cornell
scientists found that apple extracts made with skin had twice the
anti-cancer activity of extracts of peeled apples.
To remove possible pesticide
residue, Consumers Union advises washing apple skins with “a very diluted
dishwashing detergent” before eating, or buying organically grown apples,
which have little or no residue. Store apples in a plastic bag in the
refrigerator crisper, where they should keep as long as six weeks.
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