Baked Apple Slices (No Added Sugar) - Healthy Recipes Blog (2024)

FAQs

Are baked apples as healthy as raw? ›

Both cooked and raw apples are healthy. Raw apples provide fibre, Vitamin C, and Potassium, and may reduce cardio-vascular disease risk for example. But when apples are cooked, they also release extra pectin – a special form of fibre.

Apple skins are also known for their anti-inflammatory properties and ability to combat free radicals. So, while peeling apples can enhance the roasting experience, consuming the skin in other dishes (like fresh salads or sliced with peanut butter) can be beneficial for your health.

Apple, baked contains 213 calories per 190 g serving. This serving contains 5.8 g of fat, 0.6 g of protein and 43 g of carbohydrate. The latter is 36 g sugar and 4.8 g of dietary fiber, the rest is complex carbohydrate.

Boiling fruits and vegetables can cause some loss of water-soluble vitamins such as Vitamin C, B-vitamins, and folic acid. These vitamins can leach out into the cooking water, so it's best to consume them with the vegetables or to use the cooking water as a base for a soup or a sauce.

Across the board with apples one thing's for sure, Crumble Smith says, eat them raw and unpeeled. “Eating the skin ensures that you're really going to get all of that fiber, get all of those antioxidants because the skin is where a lot of it is,” Crumble Smith says.

To use this method to prevent apples from turning brown, create a water bath for your apple slices with a ratio of 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to 1 cup of water. Soak the apple slices for 3 to 5 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This simple step should keep your apples from browning for several hours.

Some experts will tell you to par-cook apples before filling a pie by pouring boiling water over cut apples and soaking them for 10 minutes. Others say to roast them to reduce water content. Still, others say to let cut apples sit for 30-40 minutes to drain natural juices.

Should you cook the apples before baking apple pie? You don't have to pre-cook the filling before spooning it into the pie crust, but it's a quick step I recommend. Just 5 minutes on the stove begins the softening process, and also helps the flavors start to mingle.

“When apples are cooked, these soluble fibers—which act like prebiotics and feed your gut microbiota (good bacteria)—break down and release higher amounts of pectin, which makes them easier to digest and helps your good gut bacteria thrive by getting rid of toxins and reducing inflammation.”

Do apples raise or lower blood sugar? ›

Apples don't lower blood sugar, but they don't seem to raise it either. Because they are high in fructose, not glucose, they don't impact insulin levels. Additionally, the naturally-occurring fiber in apples slows down the rate at which the fructose is released, making any impact on insulin even smaller.

Are apples good for diabetes? Apples can be a good snack for people with diabetes. Their fiber may help prevent spikes in blood sugar, and insulin levels, and fructose may be more beneficial for insulin levels than glucose. Apples also contain many nutrients.

Apple and peanut butter provide a good balance of fiber, protein, and healthy fats, similar to combinations like banana and almond butter or berries and walnuts. The key is diversity and moderation, ensuring a range of nutrients in your diet.

Gouda goes well with a tart apple. Cheddar pairs best with a sweeter apple. Bleu cheese works well with sweet apples, which can emphasize the tangy cheese.

The best way to keep apples' nutrition intact is to eat them raw since cooking can result in the loss of certain nutrients. Having said that, cooked apples are still a very wholesome food that can contribute to maintaining good overall health.

You get the most health benefits of apples when you eat them whole, raw and unpeeled. Juice, cider and applesauce aren't as healthy because cooking and processing apples remove valuable nutrients. Apples' nutrients vary a bit, depending on the type you eat. Red Delicious apples may be the healthiest variety of apple.

Q: Do apples lose any nutritional benefits when cooked? A:Diane McKay, PhD, a scientist in Tufts' HNRCA Antioxidant Nutrition Laboratory, answers: “Like most foods, cooking apples will tend to decrease the vitamin C content, since this nutrient is particularly susceptible to heat.

When baked, apples soften and retain their skin, en- suring that the quercetin-rich peel is consumed. Boiling: Boiling apples may lead to significant quercetin loss, as the compound can leach into the cooking water.