These apples from Washington are tasty and healthy

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. Well, that’s some sound advice! Eating one large apple provides 20% of the recommended daily value of dietary fibre, 8% of the antioxidant vitamin C, and 7% of your day’s potassium, all for only 130 calories, with no fat, no sodium, and no cholesterol.

Washington Apples are considered one of the finest in the world. They grow in the fertile valleys and plateaus of America’s far west, where growers tend orchards that produce one of the world’s best apples. Each Washington Apple is picked by hand so that there is no bruising on the fruit. Apples come with amazing health benefits. It keeps your body hydrated. For weight-conscious, it is ideal because it is low in calories with no fat, cholesterol or sodium apart from being enriched with vitamin C, which is a great immunity booster.

Sumit Saran, India representative of Washington Apple Commission, says, “India is a growth market. In the last few years, the country has catapulted to being the third largest market for Washington Apples, the top two being Mexico and Canada, which are in proximity to the US. This is a clear reflection of the aspirations of Indians for nutritious eating and healthy living.”

Washington Apples are known worldwide for their beauty and crunch.

“Washington Apples being sold in India are completely safe and meet the same standards, as they would while selling in the US or any other market in the world,” Saran adds.

In the past few years, there have been some concerns raised about the safety of waxed apples.Wax on Washington Apples is completely natural and safe.

All apples have a coating of wax provided to them by Mother Nature. Before they are packed, Washington Apples go through a stringent washing and cleaning process to remove field dirt and other material from the orchard after harvest. This process of washing apples also removes some of this natural wax from the fruit’s surface. Therefore, a few drops of food grade coatings like those used in candies, chocolates, pastries and pharmaceuticals, etc. is applied to the apples to replace the wax that was removed in the washing process.

Fruit coatings used on Washington Apples are derived overwhelmingly from two natural sources, carnauba and shellac wax. Carnauba wax is sourced from the harvested leaves of the carnauba palm tree found in Brazil. Shellac wax is a resin secreted by the lac beetle, found in Asia, on trees and is similar to honey. No synthetic-based waxes are ever used on Washington Apples. Use of both carnauba and shellac waxes as fruit coatings are approved by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Edible waxes as food coatings and have been safely used on produce and other edible products for nearly a century.

Red Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith, are commonly consumed Washington Apple varieties and are now readily available in India at modern retail outlets and with local fruit vendors.

Make a simple and smart choice to stay healthy by adding one large Washington Apple in your diet today.

PHOTO: HTCS Sumit Saran, India representative of Washington Apple Commission