A Is For Apple

When our teachers have children learn the alphabet they say A stands for Apple. And Grandma always said An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away. Two good things to learn, they taste good and they are good for us too. Here is why.

Apples are an alkaline food. They are also an eliminative food, and contain pectin, which has the ability to take up excess water in the Intestines and make a soft bulk that acts as a mild, nonirritating stimulant. A polite way of saying it helps natural bowel movement.

Apples do not contain a lot of iron, but they do help your body absorb the iron in other foods, like eggs and liver. What they do have is a good amount of calcium, which aids the system in absorbing the calcium in other foods.

Apples also have twice as much vitamin A as an orange. This vitamin helps fight off colds and other infections and promotes growth. It also keeps the eyes in good condition, and prevents night blindness.

Apples contain an ample supply of vitamins. They have more vitamin G than almost any other fruit. Sometimes called the "appetite vitamin," it promotes digestion and growth. They are rich in vitamin C, which is a key to keeping bones and teeth sound. Vitamin B is found in apples, which helps to maintain nerve health.

Apples are good for low blood pressure and hardening of the arteries because they are powerful blood purifiers. They also benefit the lymphatic system.

Apple Juice is good for everyone. It can be used in a cleansing arid reducing diet, but speeds up bowel action, and can produce gas if bowels are not moving well. Apple juice or concentrate with water heals bowel irritation when given as an enema.

Raw apples can also be used for homemade apple juice. If you save the peels they can be steeped to make a tea, which is excellent for the kidneys. It’s especially good with a little honey.

All this brings me to a recipe I found for apple crisp. I found in Wikipedia that the earliest reference to apple crisp in print occurs in 1924, with a recipe in the Everybody's Cook Book: A Comprehensive Manual of Home Cookery, Isabel Ely Lord [Harcout Brace and Company: New York] 1924 (p. 239).

This recipe is a lower calorie version adapted from “Sweeten Your Life the Xylitol Way” recipe book

6 cups thinly sliced apples
1 cup Quick-Cooking Rolled Oats
¼ cup spelt or whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup Xylitol
1/4 tsp. maple flavoring
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 cup Raw Pecans

Place apple slices in a buttered 9” square baking pan. Combine rolled oats, flour, cinnamon, xylitol, maple flavoring and pecans. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly, and spoon over apples.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until apples can be easily pierced with a knife and topping is golden brown.

Note: Don’t let the topping darken or they will have a bitter taste.

Makes 12 servings.

Per serving:
Calories: 150, Fat: 8g, Carbohydrate: 24.5g, Fiber: 3.3g

Enjoy!