Nutritionists notebook: apples and pears
Veronika Powell MSc, Viva!Health
By Veronika Powell MSc, Viva! Health.
Apples and pears are a classic favourite and a true staple in our diets. Both are native to Eurasia and have a long history of cultivation, spanning millennia. Their fruits are some of the most sustainable you can get – if you buy local produce – and can keep for a long time, when stored under the right conditions. They make for a wonderfully nutritious snack.
THE ALCHEMY OF APPLES AND PEARS
Apples and pears come from the same botanical family and are nutritionally very similar – they’re a great source of fibre and vitamin C (a medium-sized apple or pear provides about a fifth of your recommended daily intake) and contain small amounts of many other essential nutrients. Their main strength, however, really lies in the wealth of phytonutrients they offer; these phenolic compounds offer loads of different health benefits (while the red varieties of both fruits offer an extra dose!).