Apples contain dietary fibre in their skins and core. Excluding the peel and core of apples from the diet almost halves the amounts of Vitamin C and dietary fibre available in the whole fruit, but makes very little difference to the sugar content. Washing the skin to remove any contaminants is advisable. Fruit and vegetables are an important part of a balanced diet. Health advisory organisations recommend we eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day to help reduce cancer risks and improve heart health.
Apples are a good 'snack' food and are easy to eat fresh.
Young adult men eat very few apples. Figures for older adults vary between 4-6 a week, with little difference between men and women. But, there are many other forms in which we can eat apples or drink their juice. Premium juice with the distinct flavour of English apples is altered as little as possible after the apples have been pressed. Some varieties of apple, often with higher acid and tannin contents than dessert apples, are grown specially for hard cider production.