Worth repeating. From the article "Ugly fruit may pack more nutrition" - those blemishes on your apples may provide more antioxidants and sugars.
“In an unofficial experiment, Greenman tested scabbed and unscabbed Parma apples...scarred apples had a 2 to 5 percent higher sugar content than unmarred apples from the same tree. More sugar means a higher alcohol content once fermented, producing a tastier hard cider.
But she loves these ugly apples for another reason: They may be more nutritious and have a higher antioxidant content.”
----> When we demand perfect looking, uniform, shippable and shelf-stable foods oftentimes this comes at the cost of less nutritious produce and more food waste. Also, the loss of genetic diversity. Real food has variation, imperfections...and sometimes it's ugly.
“We already suspect this is the case with organic fruits and vegetables. A 2014 review of 343 studies found that organic produce had lower pesticide residue and a 20 to 40 percent higher antioxidant content than conventional produce. Those antioxidants include compounds such as flavonoids, phenolic acids, anthocyanins and carotenoids, all produced by plants as defense mechanisms when they are stressed by pests.”
----> When it comes to organic apples you know you're getting a more nutritious product, because conventional apples are one of the most highly sprayed and contaminated foods, ranked high on the Dirty Dozen list.
“One study showed that an apple covered in scab has more healthy, antioxidant phenolic compounds, called phenylpropanoids, than a scab-free apple peel. Another study showed that apple leaves infected with scab have 10 to 20 percent more phenolic compounds.”
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