An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away! Baked Cinnamon and Brandy Apples with Raisins Recipe

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"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" has been a age old saying for more than a century, & it turns out that people have been repeating it for good reason. Modern research shows that apples improve health in various ways, including the latest studies have found that apples can even boost a woman's sexual pleasure.

The study, (published in Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics),observed that women who ate 1 or 2 apples a day had better sex lives than those who didn't! The study states that high levels of polyphenols & antioxidants found in apples stimulate blood flow to the sexual organs & aid arousal!  Who would have thought it?! Plus, apples contain phloridzin, a phytoestrogen which is similar to the female sex hormone estradiol. I'll never look at an apple in the same way again! ;-)

Apples also fight many serious health problems incl:

Obesity. A Brazilian study published in the journal Nutritionbelieves that women who eat apples while dieting lose more weight  than dieters who do not. One reason could be that the high fibre contained in apples promotes "satiety," meaning we feel fuller for longer. Another study of healthy adults found that when they ate an apple 15 minutes before a meal, they reduced the total calories they induce by fifteen percent.

Cancer. Researchers believe that the phytochemicals in apples fight cancer. Researchers have  found that the antioxidant quercetin, which is plentiful in apples, stops changes in prostate cells that lead to cancer, slowing or preventing their growth.

Lung disease. Several studies have shown that eating apples improves lung function & lowers the risk of respiratory diseases including emphysema, bronchitis, & asthma. A Finnish study attributed a lower risk of asthma to the flavonoids quercetin, hesperetin, and naringenin contained in apples.

Diabetes. This same Finnish study that found a decreased risk of lung disease also found a significant decrease in the risk of Type 2 diabetes amongst people who eat apples. They attributed the decrease to a high intake of quercetin found in apple peels. (Remember - don't peel your apple; wash it well and eat as is!)

Strokes. Eating the equivalent of 2 apples a day cuts stroke risk by almost a third. Part of the benefit comes from pectin, a form of soluble fibre found in apples that lowers blood pressure and levels of bad cholesterol.

Heart attacks. Researchers at the University of Oxford calculated that if every adult aged 50 & above ate an apple everyday, deaths from heart attacks & strokes would be cut to the same degree as if everyone aged 50 & older who was not taking statins was prescribed the cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Remember that apples are cheap and a filling snack; next time you go past your local greengrocers or supermarket and see them on sale, stop, think about this article and buy one for you and your whole family. 

I have devised a recipe here to incorporate apples into your meal plan as a pudding:-

Ingredients:
2x apples, 3 tablespoons of raisins, brandy, sprinkling of cinnamon.

Method:
Soak  the raisins in brandy for one to two hours.  De-core the apples as best as possible, ensuring removal of the pips etc. Place equal amounts of the raisins inside each apple, pour leftover brandy over the apples. Sprinkle cinnamon over the apples.  Heat in the microwave on high for 5 minutes.  Serve and enjoy!

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