Apple Peel: Sports Boost?

Apples are the iconic symbol of health. Remember, "an apple a day keeps the doctor away?" Researchers at Cornell University are taking this to the bank. They have developed a dried apple peel powder into organic applesauce to create a product called AppleBoost. The AppleBoost comes in the applesauce or in capsule form.

I first heard about AppleBoost when some US Olympians were given the tubes of applesauce for their flight to China last summer. Now the Oklahoma Sooners are snacking on the tubes while they get ready to play the Florida Gators in the college football national championship. IN fact, they shipped in 3,000 AppleBoost tubes!

Why apples?
They contain a wide variety of beneficial ingredients in the form of various phytochemicals and antioxidants. Most of the nutrition is found in or right below the skin. It is thought that apples have anti-cancer and anit-inflammatory properties

Intense exercise creates free radicals which lead to cellular damage. Antioxidants and phytochemicals help to protect the cells. However, most athletes at the college and professional level do not get the recommended 5-9 servings of fruits and vegetables daily.

A convenient pouch of applesauce is just the answer!