An apple a day …
Reviewed by Dietitian Jane Leverich, M.S., RDN
Key Points
- Apples provide nutrients like dietary fiber and polyphenols to support gut health.
- Eating apples may support regular bowel movements and a healthy gut microbiome.
- Dietitians share their favorite ways to enjoy apples and other tips for supporting gut health.
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” It’s a hopeful adage, and there may be some truth behind it. Eating apples regularly offers many health benefits, especially for your gut. The fruit is packed with gut-friendly nutrients like dietary fiber (including prebiotic fiber) and polyphenols, which may support healthy digestion, microbial diversity, regular bowel movements and even the integrity of the gut.
Here, dietitians weigh in on these benefits, along with some of their favorite ways to enjoy the fruit, plus general gut health tips to support your gastrointestinal tract’s overall well-being.
How Eating Apples Affects Your Gut Health
Helps Regulate Bowel Movements
Struggle with constipation or diarrhea? Eating an apple may help. Beyond being a crunchy, delicious snack, apples can also help keep things moving. Leslie Bonci, M.P.H., RDN, CSSD, LDNexplains, “Apples contain both insoluble fiber (found in the skin) to help us ‘go’ as well as soluble fiber (found in the flesh) to help the good bacteria in the gut grow. For those with diarrhea, the pectin in apples can also help to slow emptying and decrease the frequency of diarrhea.”,
Bonci also points out that one of the types of soluble fiber found in apples is pectin, which can act as a prebiotic, the food for the beneficial bacteria in the large intestine.
May Help Support a Healthy Gut
When it comes to fruits high in antioxidants, we often think of deeply hued blueberries, raspberries, pomegranates and the like, but apples should also be top of mind. Both the skin and the flesh of an apple are high in antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds, including flavonols, phenolics and anthocyanins (in red apples).
When we eat an apple, these beneficial compounds are released throughout the GI tract. Research suggests that these different phytonutrients may influence several digestive processes. The compounds may also help heal gastric ulcers, reduce spikes in blood sugar and even protect against colitis and colon cancer.
May Support the Gut Barrier
Pectin, a soluble fiber that feeds the good bacteria in our gut, also helps maintain the lining of our GI tract. When bacteria break down the soluble fiber for food, pectin ferments and produces short-chain fatty acids.
Maya K. Lechowick, M.S., CNS, LDN, M.P.A., highlights research on the effects of eating apples on short-chain fatty acids. “Researchers found that eating an apple each day increased levels of acetate, propionate, and butyrate (types of SCFAs) in the stool, but only in participants with one particular gut microbiome profile.”
This suggests your current microbiome may influence the process and how your body responds to different foods. Lechowick adds: “Butyrate is especially important in the colon because it is a major energy source for the cells that line the colon and helps support the intestinal barrier.
Renee Korczak, Ph.D., RDN, CSSD, LDagrees, citing other research that suggests “that the fermentation of pectin is important because it provides an important source of SCFAs that help provide an energy source for colon cells and can help support intestinal barrier function.”
May Improve Bacteria Diversity
Low microbial diversity in your gut is linked with several diseases. In other words, when it comes to the bacteria in your GI tract, variety is the spice of life. Many factors affect the diversity of the bacteria that make up your microbiome, from genetics, age, ethnicity and gender to your diet, medications, geographic location and even climate.
Experimental studies suggest apples may give your gut the boost it needs. The type of apple may also affect which bacteria are present. That said, human studies have had conflicting results, so more research is needed.
Ways to Enjoy Apples
There are more than 100 apple varieties in the U.S., from a tart Granny Smith or Macintosh to a sweeter pick like Honeycrisp or Golden Delicious. With a wide range of flavors, the possibilities for enjoying this delicious fruit are endless. Here are some of our nutrition experts’ favorite ways to enjoy apples
- Leave the skin on. “I leave the peel on to get more of the whole fruit. Apple peels contain polyphenols, including flavonols, which are found in higher amounts in the peel than in the flesh. Research suggests these compounds may also benefit gut health by helping support a healthy balance of gut bacteria, though more studies are needed to better understand these effects,” says Lechowick. Korczak agrees: “I enjoy eating apples with the skin on. A substantial portion of an apple’s fiber (pectin) and polyphenols is in or near the peel.”
- Combine warm cinnamon apples with yogurt and walnuts. “One of my favorite ways to eat apples is to make warm cinnamon apples. To make them, I slice one medium apple with the peel on and toss it with ½ teaspoon cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon water. I bake the apple at 375°F for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until tender but still slightly firm. I serve it warm over ½ cup of yogurt of your choice and top it with 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts. It makes a simple breakfast, snack or dessert,” shares Lechowick.
- Pair them with savory flavors. Try combining sweet (or even tart) apples with savory foods like vegetables, cheese and nuts for the perfect flavor combo. Bonci has her go-tos: “I love to pair apples with a sharp Cheddar. I also enjoy thinly sliced apples, fennel and walnuts with a citrus vinaigrette.”
Tips for Supporting Your Gut Health
There are many ways to improve your gut health. Dietitians share some of their top tips to show your gut some love.
- Enjoy fermented foods. Incorporating fermented foods like yogurt, kimchi, miso and sauerkraut is one of Lechowick’s top tips. Research shows that eating a diet high in fermented foods increases gut microbiome diversity, or the variety of bacteria found in the gut, and is associated with decreases in several markers of inflammation.
- Get regular exercise. Bonci’s tip to be a member of the “good gut club”? Make exercise a part of your daily routine. She explains, “Your gut is a muscle as well as your arms and legs, and exercise may positively impact the proliferation and diversity of good gut bacteria.”
- Increase your fiber intake gradually. Upping your fiber intake too quickly could backfire. “As a gut-health dietitian and dietary fiber expert, I think it is important for consumers to understand how to add fiber to their diet, especially if they are low-fiber consumers to begin with. Gradually adding new fibrous foods and increasing diversity is a great thing when done correctly,” says Korczak.
- Try breathing exercises. Ever notice that your gut gets wonky (stomach ache, constipation, diarrhea) when you’re stressed? That’s because of the connection between your GI tract and brain. “Chronic stress can affect several aspects of digestive health, including gut motility, or how food moves through the digestive tract, intestinal sensitivity, intestinal barrier function and immune signaling,” shares Lechowick. Research suggests that people who practiced breath work experienced a small to moderate reduction in stress levels compared with people who did not practice breath work.
Our Expert Take
Apples offer gut-friendly nutrients like fiber and polyphenols, which may help keep you regular, increase bacterial diversity, support your intestinal lining and protect against some GI conditions. Snack on an apple (with the skin for extra nutrients); pair it with Cheddar cheese or add a sweet twist with cinnamon and yogurt. Aside from eating apples, increasing your overall fiber intake slowly, and including fermented foods, regular exercise and deep-breathing exercises can also support your gut health.