Granny Smith apples contain lots of UNDIGESTIBLE BITS, and it is the UNDIGESTIBLE BITS that matter, they encourage “skinny” bacteria to move into your colon

Most of us grew up “knowing” that apples are good for you. Ever wondered, why apples were singled out for their “healthfulness” all those years ago ? Why was it not “a strawberry a day” or “a banana a day” ?

Feeding the trillion ….

Turns out, they’re good for YOU, not just because of the nutrients they provide, but because they contain lots of UNDIGESTIBLE BITS. Yup, despite being “pulverized” in the mouth, “burned” by the stomach juices and “worked over”, by the digestive enzymes………. there are several bits of an apple, that never get assimilated. Instead, they pass down to the nether regions of the gut, to become the entrée for your gut bacteria.

The undigestibles…

Are not equally distributed in different varieties of apple. Researchers from Washington State University went shopping for apples. They bought all the popular varieties of apple, including

• Braeburn,
• Fuji,
• Gala,
• Golden Delicious,
• McIntosh,
• Red Delicious and
• Granny Smith

And tested each apple’s levels of undigestibleness. The numbers varied among the types of apple, but the apple variety that rated as the MOST UNDIGESTIBLE, was the somewhat tart, Granny Smith.

A favourite…

When the team fed a Granny Smith apple mix, to the normal gut residents of obese mice, they found that the bacterial population shifted…… It shifted towards, the “skinny” bacteria club.

The skinny club ?

Yes, you read that correctly, there is a “skinny” bacteria club. No, the “skinny” bacteria club are not actually wispy sticks, with no meat on their bones, they’re the group of bacteria, typically found in “skinny” people”. They’re different from the bacteria found in “not so skinny” people. “Not so skinny” people have power eaters, these are bacteria that are able to extract more calories from food. And the more calories they extract……………mean more calories in. And more calories in……….. leaves more calories to burn or store. Ouch !

So an apple a day…

The team concluded, Granny Smiths help keep the bad bugs at bay – in mice. If it works for mice, it should work for man. And, by keeping the bad bugs at bay, the extra pounds are a lot less likely to accumulate around the belly. Less fat in the fat stash, will keep the doctor away.

Let them eat – APPLES

Who is who in your gut zoo, is influenced by what you eat. To cultivate the “right” microflora, you need to feed your bacteria foods they like…..……. This research suggests, they prefer Granny Smith apples over other varieties. So……….the old health adage needs a little adjusting,

An apple a day only keeps the doctor away, along as it’s a Granny Smith Apple.

PS. Eat the apple, don’t drink the apple – the bugs only “eat” the undigestable bits.

Further reading

How to turn fruit into a highly desirable snack You want your family to eat a few more fruits and vegetables.  Unfortunately, that apple doesn’t stand a chance, when pitted against a twinkie, but it can..

Being apple- or pear- shaped irrelevant when it comes to heart risk Heart disease has nothing to do with being apple-shape or pear-shaped but is all about how much fat is present in your liver.  Both shapes can be at risk.

Biting into too many “apples” the beginning of obesity ? Human woes officially began, when Adam and Eve took a bite out of that fruit. Oops, biting into fruit sugar marks the beginning of another set of woes – obesity.

Interested in learning more about the chemistry behind those extra fat layers ?

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