Mom was right when she told you to eat your fruits and vegetables. Americans knew an apple a day was healthy even before the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released the “Dietary Guidelines for Americans.” The list recommends enjoying a variety of fruits and vegetables, at least five servings a day. As apple flavors range from mouth-puckering tart to cotton-candy sweet, your grocery list can include a variety of apples, a different one for every day of the week to get you on your way to “5 A Day” deliciously.

Pick an apple, any apple
You can choose from dozens of varieties of apples, with colors that range from cream with red stripes to green with pink blush, and flavors that range from tart and tangy to sweet and everything in between. Add some of the following apples to your grocery list this week. (For more information on apple varieties, see USApple’s Web site at www.usapple.org – see the enclosed “Resource Guide” for more information.)

Braeburn Cameo® Cortland Empire Fuji Gala

Ginger Gold Golden Delicious Granny Smith Honeycrisp Idared Jonagold

Jonathan McIntosh Newtown Pippin Pink Lady® Red Delicious Rome Beauty

Apples are packed with fiber, containing more fiber per serving than some grains or cereals. Apples also contain potassium and vitamin C, yet don’t have any health-threatening fat, sodium, or cholesterol, and tally only 80 calories per serving. Apples also are a great source of naturally occurring phytonutrients that we are now learning may promote health and help prevent disease. For example, recent population studies suggest phytonutrients in apples, and, in particular, a type of flavonoid called quercetin, may provide a whole-body range of health benefits, including promoting lung function and protecting against lung diseases such as asthma. (See “Thursday Morning” for more information on apple research findings.) So an apple a day really might keep the doctor away!

Let the pyramid guide you
Healthy eating depends not only on the types of food you eat, but also how much. The Food Guide Pyramid recommends not only the number of servings we should eat from each of the food groups, but also defines the ideal serving size for each type of food – for example, according to the Food Guide Pyramid, a serving of red meat or poultry should be no bigger than a deck of cards and added fats and sugars should be consumed sparingly.

Want a true “value” meal from a better health perspective? Then supersize your fruits and vegetables eating at least five servings daily. This includes apples, 100% apple juice, and naturally sweetened applesauce.

Size up your servings
The Food Guide Pyramid recommends two to four servings of fruit and three to five servings of vegetables per day.

• One serving of fruit equals:
  • One medium-sized piece of fruit, such as one medium apple (about the size of a tennis ball)
  • 6 ounces of 100% juice, such as apple juice or cider
  • 1/2 cup of processed fruit, such as applesauce
  • 1/4 cup of dried fruit, such as apples

• One serving of vegetables equals:
  • About one cup of raw leafy vegetables
  • 1/2 cup of other cooked or raw vegetables
  • 6 ounces of 100% vegetable juice

An apple a day
Looking for ideas on how to get on your way to “5 A Day” with apples? Apples make the perfect between-meal snack because they are easy to eat on the go and can satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time, helping you to avoid the fats and sugars that fall at the top of the Food Guide Pyramid. Here are some easy ideas for incorporating more apples, juice, and sauce in your daily diet:

• Pop an apple in your lunch bag or briefcase to snack on when the munchies strike you.
• Add 100% apple juice or cider to your meal, morning, noon, or night.
• Peel the top of an apple, core it, sprinkle it with cinnamon, and pop it in the microwave for a healthy, delicious dessert.
• Serve a side of applesauce at lunch or dinner.

All the juice and nothing but the juice
You also can “drink” your apples in the form of 100% apple juice or cider. Researchers at Cornell University report apple juice also is a good source for apple phytonutrients, while researchers at the University of California-Davis reported recently that eating two apples a day or drinking 12 ounces of 100% apple juice daily helped reduce oxidation of LDL cholesterol and protect against heart disease. (See “Thursday Morning” for more information on apple research findings.) Be sure to look for 100% juice to satisfy your “5 A Day” requirements – anything else just does not measure up.

Applause for applesauce
Delicious on its own, applesauce also does double duty as a fat replacer in baking. To lighten cakes, muffins, and other moist goodies, substitute unsweetened applesauce for up to half of the oil in recipes, and lose a lot of calories and fat in the process. (Please note this does not work for baked goods that need to crisp, such as cookies.) Like fresh apples, applesauce has no fat, sodium, or cholesterol.