Get your probiotics from...apples?

Insights and discussion from the cutting edge with reference to journal articles and other research papers.
Post Reply
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Get your probiotics from...apples?

Post by SusanJ »

I'm always fascinated when reading about the research done around the microbiome, especially because I tend to not tolerate probiotics very well. We know our ancient ancestors were not drinking kombucha or taking probiotics. And studies are showing that supplements do not have the same effects as whole foods.

So, researchers are looking at fruits and vegetables to see what the plant microbiome might be doing for us. First is a short overview in The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... ds/595687/

And here is the full text. Check out the difference in plant microbiome between conventional and organic. (Hint: organic is definitely the way to go.)

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 ... 01629/full

I had a colleague many years ago who used to eat the entire apple. Little did I know he was ahead of his time. ;)
SoCalGuy
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 77
Joined: Tue Sep 25, 2018 4:41 pm

Re: Get your probiotics from...apples?

Post by SoCalGuy »

SusanJ wrote:I'm always fascinated when reading about the research done around the microbiome, especially because I tend to not tolerate probiotics very well. We know our ancient ancestors were not drinking kombucha or taking probiotics. And studies are showing that supplements do not have the same effects as whole foods.

So, researchers are looking at fruits and vegetables to see what the plant microbiome might be doing for us. First is a short overview in The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... ds/595687/

And here is the full text. Check out the difference in plant microbiome between conventional and organic. (Hint: organic is definitely the way to go.)

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 ... 01629/full

I had a colleague many years ago who used to eat the entire apple. Little did I know he was ahead of his time. ;)
Interesting, thanks for sharing! I definitely eat an apple per day...along with many other fruits, berries, nuts and veggies. I've never eaten the core of an apple so I may have to give that a try. It's been a long time since I have eaten that hard, fibrous section that surrounds the seeds as it is so unpleasant. The thought of eating the seeds is unappealing but it seems like there are a lot of microbes there. So maybe I will give it a try. They would be easy enough to swallow whole and then I guess your stomach acids break them down?

That may be a good compromise: eat the seeds and avoid the most fibrous, unpleasant part of the core. It's worth a try I guess!
User avatar
floramaria
Support Team
Support Team
Posts: 1423
Joined: Tue Jul 04, 2017 11:22 am
Location: Northern New Mexico

Re: Get your probiotics from...apples?

Post by floramaria »

SusanJ wrote:I'm always fascinated when reading about the research done around the microbiome, especially because I tend to not tolerate probiotics very well. We know our ancient ancestors were not drinking kombucha or taking probiotics. And studies are showing that supplements do not have the same effects as whole foods.

So, researchers are looking at fruits and vegetables to see what the plant microbiome might be doing for us. First is a short overview in The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/arch ... ds/595687/

And here is the full text. Check out the difference in plant microbiome between conventional and organic. (Hint: organic is definitely the way to go.)

https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10 ... 01629/full

I had a colleague many years ago who used to eat the entire apple. Little did I know he was ahead of his time. ;)
Hi SusanJ, I read the article about eating the whole apple this week too. Very interesting! And it made me happy because I've always eaten the whole apple except the woody stem just because I enjoy it. I love the bitter contrast of the seeds against the sweetness of the flesh. Right now there are many bushels of organic apples developing on the trees in my back yard.

Actually, I don't eat the worms when I find them in an apple either. They'd probably be good for me as well. :lol: (that'll be in another study!)
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
IFM/ Bredesen Training in Reversing Cognitive Decline (March 2017)
ReCODE 2.0 Health Coach with Apollo Health
User avatar
CarrieS
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 408
Joined: Thu Jun 22, 2017 12:21 pm

Re: Get your probiotics from...apples?

Post by CarrieS »

SusanJ wrote:I'm always fascinated when reading about the research done around the microbiome, especially because I tend to not tolerate probiotics very well. We know our ancient ancestors were not drinking kombucha or taking probiotics. And studies are showing that supplements do not have the same effects as whole foods.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl ... a91adbe79e

I ran across this today and thought I'd pass it along. It supports eating a large diversity of the whole fruit and vegetables that most of us are trying to accomplish. Diversity, Diversity, Diversity is my mantra. Exposure to diverse environments, people, animals, foods, etc helps to give us a large array of the good beneficial bacteria that can crowd out the bad guys. I started eating whole apples and oranges (thin skinned mandarin types specifically) last year and found that I really like the taste and love that I don't have to mess with peeling the oranges. I've heard that the we should eat the banana peel too but I'm just not there yet.
APOe4/4
Functional Medicine Certified Health Coach
National Board Certified Health & Wellness Coach
Certificate for Reversing Cognitive Decline for Coaches (FMCA)
Certified Fermentationist
Post Reply