Which keeps the doctor way?
An apple a day keeps the doctors away, a popular north American phrase, but is it true? Quickly without reading any further, which fruit has more vitamins and fiber per serving?
I really don't like pears except in my salad but I love apples. Since I'm trying to lower my cholesterol, I decided to really investigate this.
Calories: Both apples and pears are low in calories, one large pear has 100 calories and same size apple has 130 calories and both have no fat calories. Since they are both plant based foods, they have no cholesterol, fat or sodium.
Carbohydrates and Fiber: A pear serving has 26 grams of carbohydrates and 6 grams of fiber and an apple has 30 grams of carbohydrates and 3.3 grams of fiber. Fiber which is also known as roughage is the ingestible part of plants that aids in digestion -- see my article on fiber for more information. Americans need to consume between 25 to 30 grams of fiber a day.
Vitamins: Apples have 8% the recommended vitamin A intake and 2% the recommended daily vitamin C intake. Pears have no significant vitamin A, but deliver 10% the recommended Vitamin C intake.
Minerals: Apples have more iron and potassium (2% recommended iron intake and 260 grams of potassium). Pears have no iron, and only 190 mg of potassium. Potassium helps to lower your blood pressure and slow bone loss. Both apples and pears offer 2% the recommended daily intake of calcium.
So which is better? Both are important but if you are trying to lower your cholesterol pears would be a better choice; apples offer more vitamin A and potassium, though. So if you have high blood pressure, an apple a day might actually keep the doctor away. My goal is to incorporate pears into my diet and continue with my love for apples. What do you prefer apples or pears?
I love them both, but pears are my favorite. Thanks for the review, I learned something today. :)
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