Apple is a fruit with a very good reputation for its health benefits. For example, most people have known about the Health Benefits of Apple Tea and Health Benefits of Eating Apple before Bed Time. Besides the health benefits, apple is also known for its distinct sweet taste and aroma. It makes apple suitable to be combined with the other ingredients or processed into some kinds of foods.
One of the foods made with apple as the main ingredient is apple bread, the most lovable homemade snack. So, is it also able to provide health benefits of apple in a form of apple? Let’s find out more about the apple, apple bread, and its health benefits of apple bread on this page.
Nutritional Information Of Apple Bread
Apple bread is basically made of apple, sugar, egg, and flour. Although it is possible for us to use many kinds of flour, the most popular apple bread product uses wheat flour in it. Therefore, the nutrition we can get from this apple bread is listed as follow:
- Fats
- Protein
- Carbohydrate
- Sugar
- Dietary fiber
- Vitamin A
- Vitamin C
- Vitamin E
- Potassium
- Sodium
The Health Benefits Of Apple Bread
Apple bread can be a good component for our healthy diet. It is because we are able to get both filling and healthy foods in one bite. The bread will provide us with energy and apple presents us the dietary fiber and vitamins which are important for our daily nutrition need. It makes apple bread suitable for our breakfast and regular snack. Here are the health benefits of apple bread you can get:
- Support healthy heart
Apple contains fiber called pectin. Pectin is very effective in lowering the LDL or bad cholesterol level. This way, consuming apple or any foods involving apple will help you in preventing the improved cholesterol. The normal cholesterol level will also prevent the heart problem related to the cholesterol, such as coronary heart.
- Reduce the risk of cancer
Everyone knows that “an apple a day keeps the doctor away” is not just merely an idiom. A research from American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that consuming an apple a day is able to reduce the risk of colon and lung cancer. This health benefit is mainly contributed by the high level of fiber in apple.
- Maintain healthy digestion
Pectin, the soluble fiber in apple is surprisingly also good in maintaining healthy digestion. It is possible since pectin helps bacteria in the gut to produce compounds that is able to protect colon from any thread by form a soft lining in the colon. The protected colon enables our digestion to carry its function properly. The lining formed by pectin is not only protecting, but also ensure the smooth digestion process.
- Improve metabolism
The healthy digestion from eating apple and apple bread also helps us in having better metabolism. This way, the foods we take can be well metabolized. We can instantly get the energy we need, and all of the nutrients needed are able to be distributed to the entire body.
- Manage weight
We should know that most of the health benefits of apple bread are contributed by pectin, the soluble fiber found in apple. For example, the ability of pectin in lowering the absorption of fats from the food we take. This way, we can eat the bread but still able to keep our weight controlled. To get these benefits, it is also recommended to use corn oil instead of butter or margarine in the bread. corn oil gives you the Health Benefits of Using Corn Oil.
- Good for diabetic
Although apple breads are commonly sweet, we still can manage it to be friendly for diabetics. We can use the low calorie sugar, or the natural sugar for the bread. Don’t worry, it won’t ruin the taste. In addition, fresh apple initially has ability to control blood sugar by improving metabolism. This way, the sugar taken by our body will be quickly metabolized and transformed into energy. It helps in balancing the blood sugar level.
- Prevent constipation
The high concentration of soluble fiber in apple bread also helps you to prevent and relieve constipation. It is possible since the soluble fiber is able to aid smoother bowel movement. This is the reason how apple bread prevents you from constipation.
- Improve oral health
One of the health benefits of apple bread is improving oral health. Do you know that apple is a great source of malic acid? Malic acid is a potential cleansing agent in apple. It is able to improve the production of saliva and removing bacteria from mouth. It also contains beneficial vitamins and minerals for oral health.
This way, consuming apple bread with good amount of apple in it may improve your oral health. But please note that too much sugar in the bread may also bad for your oral health. As the solution, you can replace the white sugar with honey for your homemade apple bread. Honey will also present you with Health Benefits of Replacing Sugar with Honey.
Recommendation For Healthy Homemade Apple Bread
To make a loaf of apple bread packed with health benefits of apple bread, you need to prepare the ingredients. You can prepare almond or walnut flour instead of wheat flour to reduce the calories. In addition, the nut based flour is also gluten free, so it is safer for those with hyper reaction to gluten.
Add eggs, honey as the natural sweetener, corn oil to replace butter, cinnamon powder to enhance the aroma and give you the Health Benefits of Cinnamon, and final add the fresh apple. If you love to, you can add soy milk or almond milk to give milky and buttery taste to your bread. Mix all the ingredients together, except the chopped fresh apple.
Once everything mixed, add a half of the batter to the heated pan. After some minutes, add the chopped apple on the top of it. Add honey, and pour the rest of the batter. Bake it for about 40 minutes, and you will have the healthy apple bread for your picnic table.