Why we love Red Love apples

As we say farewell to the summer soft fruit, we hail the arrival of new season fruit like apples and pears. At this time of year, I'm always keen to get my hands on the new season Royal Gala but was excited to learn about a new-to-Australia apple, called Red Love which is now grown in South Australia.

Red Love was bred in Switzerland. it has a tart flavour, like a Granny Smith apple but what excites me most, and why I'll be buying some as soon as I can, is that both the flesh and skin are red. It's not just because it will look pretty in a tart or crumble but also because, if you know anything about plant pigments, anthocyanins, and phytochemicals you will know that pigments in fresh produce typically signal the presence of powerful anti-aging antioxidants.

I checked with the growers who are in the process of doing the formal nutritional analysis and from what they can tell things are looking up. My gut suggests they are looking at an apple equivalent of a red plum
Red flesh aside there are plenty of reasons to enjoy apples particularly when you're trying to manage your weight.

Research suggests that polyphenols, antioxidant compounds in apples, may have the potential to help to reduce belly fat and positively affect hormones involved in regulating metabolism.

Eating whole apples can also help to control hunger by helping you feel fuller for longer. Eating an apple just before a meal may reduce appetite and cut overall kilojoule intake at that meal by 15 percent the equivalent to reducing your portion size by almost one-sixth. Eating apples as a snack may also have valuable satiety benefits that may help with weight reduction.

The highest level of polyphenols and antioxidant activity is found in the apple skin, therefore if you want to get the greatest health benefits, make sure you eat the whole apple.

Without jumping the gun, it's possible Red Love may hold polyphenols in its flesh as well.

Stay tuned and I'll keep you posted

In the meantime, enjoy your apples and store them in the fridge, not the fruit bowl, if you want to maintain the high antioxidant levels in the fruit.

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