7 Health Benefits of Apple Juice (the proper stuff!)

There will always be the fad fruits such as Amazonian super berries, the latest wonder fruit to make you younger, healthier, and maybe even immortal.  But don’t be sucked in, we already have the wonder fruit growing in gardens and on roadsides up and down the UK. The humble apple. The fruit undoubtably has numerous health and nutritional benefits – but there are also benefits of apple juice (of the the pure and unadulterated kind).

The humble apple is a super food that has been cultivated in this country for hundreds of years. It’s true what they say, ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’ and so much more.

Apples are amongst the healthiest fruit. No cholesterol, extremely low levels of saturated fats and sodium, but power punching levels of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. 

Apples are produced in an abundant glut each Autumn, and most of the fruit finds itself rotting on the floor, or taken down to the council dump. It’s a crime to waste such an abundance of nutritious fruit, which is why we began apple pressing in the first place.

There is of course nothing better than eating an apple, but preserving its juice is a worthwhile second-best option. Whilst you lose the fibre, the remaining nutritional value of apple juice is definitely worth harvesting, provided it is direct from fresh apples, pressed and bottled without supermarket additives.  The preservatives added by supermarkets cut down the nutritional value of the juice to such an extant that the sugar content outweighs the goodness from the juice itself.

Here are just a few benefits of apple juice to your health. Seven reasons to press your apples into delicious juice that can last over a year…

Health Benefits of Apple Juice (not the supermarket kind)

Heart Health

One glass of apple juice a day is a fantastic way of upping your potassium. Potassium is crucial for heart health.  The juice is packed with antioxidants, flavonoids & polyphenol that boost heart health.  The best apple juice is pure apple juice so be careful of the shop bought apple juice that can sometimes be stripped of goodness and replaced with nasties to prolong shelf life.  If your pure apple juice is correctly pasteurised and stored it should last a year unopened (we can do that for you!).

Asthma

Flavonoids are super antioxidants again are renowned for preventing asthma attacks. Scientific research suggests that they play a leading role in making the lungs stronger.  If you drink a glass of juice a day, it has been suggested that your lung function could be better than than those who don’t.

Detox

To combat the acidity/toxins and nasty waste products from the liver, get some juice in you.  Alkaline in the apples helps your digestive system cleanse.

Vitimans

Forget lab-produced vitamin supplements. Fresh, unadulterated apple juice is absolutely jam-packed with vitamins. Of course it does contain naturally occurring sugars too, so everything in moderation – but great for replacing all of those lost electrolytes after a night on the scrumpy.

If you have a poorly child, rather than reaching for the electrolytes try mixing apple and water together. This is said to speed up the recovery of the child much faster. Do dilute them though as we all know what a joy children can be when amped up on too much sugar!

Cholesterol

To get your cholesterol down, turn to the apple (or its juice).  High levels of cholesterol are the main contributor behind so many cardiovascular conditions. so by consuming an apple or drinking its juice you are immediately strengthening yourself against such diseases.   

Cancer

We can’t verify the claims that lung cancer really struggles against the flavonoids and phenolic acids found in apple juice. But, Apple juice definitely contains plant compounds called polyphenols, which may help protect your cells from disease-promoting oxidative stress and inflammation. Cloudy juice with pulp is higher in polyphenols than clear juice.

Constipation

If you are struggling with constipation apples could hold the answer for you.  Sorbitol found in apples draws water from the colon (once its in the large intestine) and makes stools softer and easier to pass.

Apple juice is also so tasty, it promotes hydration in kids that suffer with dehydration. Again, it should not be a replacement for water and milk, but is a fabulous goodness packed treat.

If you’d like some other ideas about what to do with your glut of apples, see our post about things to do with apples.