A recent New York Times article highlighted the health benefits of apples — I wasn’t familiar with some of these:

• Apples contain a lot of healthy bacteria — apparently more so than many other fruits and vegetables. When you eat an apple, “some of those bacteria may become part of your microbiome.” And these healthy bacteria are very important: they have a powerful impact on our health, affecting everything from cancer risk, to weight, to mood.”
• Apples are rich in dietary fiber. This, I did know, but it’s a great reminder, as I’m all about fiber these days. Dietary fiber helps feed the aforementioned healthy bacteria.
• Apples can help maintain healthy cholesterol levels, due to the all pectin in them.
• Apples are good for blood pressure: “Certain polyphenols in apples, called flavonoids, are particularly good at stimulating the production of nitric oxide, a gas that flows through our blood vessels, causing them to dilate.”
• Apples can reduce chronic inflammation.