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Who(m)ever said, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' is such a fibber. ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ

The myth got it so wrong.

By Novel AllenPublished 9 months ago โ€ข 3 min read
Who(m)ever said, 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' is such a fibber. ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ
Photo by Bozhin Karaivanov on Unsplash

DISCLAIMER: I am in no way discouraging the consumption of apples to assist in the health of any individual personage.

This is very true and fictional story.

The proverb (is it even a proverb though), โ€œAn apple a day keeps the doctor awayโ€ originated from a 19th-century Welsh saying and cannot be attributed to a single individual.

Well, lucky for them that I don't know who said that - for it's more like 'eating a whole tree of apples per day, along with taking statins and such, may keep the doctor away'.

This - is the actual apple phrase which first appeared in a variant form in 1866 in Pembrokeshire, Wales, published in Notes and Queries magazine:

โ€œEat an apple on going to bed, and youโ€™ll keep the doctor from earning his breadโ€.

This early version emphasized apple consumption before bedtime and linked it to reducing the doctorโ€™s income. Over time, the wording evolved, and by the early 20th century, the modern phrasing โ€œAn apple a day keeps the doctor awayโ€ became widely used in newspapers, magazines, and books.

The saying, however - reflects a broader cultural understanding - eating healthful foods, like apples, contributes to good health and may reduce the need for medical visits. Apples were recognized for their nutritional value, including vitamin C, dietary fiber, and antioxidants, which support immune function, heart health, and digestion. While the saying is catchy and memorable, it is more a product of communal wisdom than the words of a single person.

The saying emerged organically from Welsh folk wisdom in the 19th century and gradually transformed into the concise version we know today, promoting the health benefits of apples and the idea of preventive nutrition.

If your heart, or any of the MANY hypocritical organs of your body acts up, your professional (cardiologist, Oncologist, Haematologist, etc) will tell you that no matter how many apples you eat - IF YOUR DNA CARRIES THE GENOME (the complete set of genes or genetic material present in a cell or organism) OF TRAITS FOR A PARTICULAR DISEASE IN YOUR FAMILY BLOODLINE - YOU ARE AT RISK for said disease.

๐ŸŽ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ

Nutritional content of an apple -

A USDA-standard medium-size (100 gram) raw apple is 86% water and 14% carbohydrates with negligible content of fat and protein, and supplies 52 calories of food energy. It contains a moderate amount of dietary fiber, but otherwise has a low level of micronutrients.

๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽApple's juices are great to soothe your stomach. I can attest to that.

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Here is a tall tale, transformed into a small, storyโ€‘like vignette - something warm, lightly whimsical, and still faithful to the facts of our apple conundrum.

Every morning in the quiet town of Applewood, two old regulars showed up at the corner cafรฉ: Mr. Statin, punctual and efficient, and Miss Apple, bright as a sunrise and smelling faintly of orchards.

People over fifty often found themselves choosing between the two. Mr. Statin promised to keep their cholesterol in line with the precision of a seasoned accountant. Miss Apple, meanwhile, simply offered a crisp bite and a wink, insisting that nature had its own quiet medicine.

One year, a group of scholars arrived with a curious machine - an elaborate computer model that grunted and blinked like something out of a monstrous sciโ€‘fi tale. They fed it numbers, habits, and health records - the machine whispered back a surprising truth: for many folks in town, especially those past fifty, spending time with Miss Apple each day could rival the benefits of Mr. Statin. She matched his cholesterolโ€‘lowering talents and carried far fewer side effects, all while costing about the same.

Two years later, another team of researchers wandered through Applewood with clipboards in hand. They noticed that people who visited Miss Apple daily seemed, at first glance, to stay away from doctors more often. But once the researchers accounted for all the quirks of age, lifestyle, family gene association and circumstance, the magic wasnโ€™t quite as statistically solid.

Miss Appleโ€™s friends, though consuming their regular dose of apples, still had to visit the doctor's office, quite regularly, if I may say so. Although they did indeed have fewer prescription bottles rattling in their cabinets...

But every single soul, apple consumer and non-apple consumer - all eventually met in the doctor's office at some time or the other.

And so the townspeople, proving categorically, that eating 'only an apple a day' won't keep the doctor away - added lots more fruit and a healthy lifestyle to the mix...while praying for the best...waiting and watching for the doctor's diagnostic advice, which depended on their elusive family hereditary traits.

They all now keep on visiting both regulars - some choosing Mr. Statin, some choosing Miss Apple, and many choosing a bit of both - each finding their own way to keep the heart, body and mind steady - and the years long.

๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ ๐ŸŽ

HistoricalHumorPsychological

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Novel Allen

Existing in mist and shadow. Seeking Truth.

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    Written by Novel Allen