Reasons To Emphasize An Apple A Day To Your Child

Many of today's adults grew up hearing the adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." Your own parents may have emphasized this phrase, and now that you're a parent, it may pop into your mind, too. Where your child's health is concerned, this is more than just a catchy rhyme — eating apples can indeed be beneficial for your child's health. While you should never feel a desire to keep the child's pediatrician "away," giving your child apples on a regular basis can be good for a variety of health reasons. Here are some things to know about doing so. 

Important For Digestion

One of the biggest benefits of giving your child an apple a day is that its fiber content can help with digestion. Children who suffer from constipation can feel miserable and may complain of a sore abdomen or even cry — all of which can send you to the pediatrician. The high fiber in an apple, especially if you wash it and leave the skin on it, is effective for pushing the food that your child has consumed through his or her digestive tract and allowing your child to go to the bathroom with ease. 

A Healthy Dessert

Children may not get excited about eating apples to the same degree as they get excited about cake and other desserts, but the former is definitely a smarter dessert choice. It doesn't possess the fats and added sugars that many other desserts have; these ingredients can often contribute to weight gain. With childhood obesity and its myriad related health complications a concern for many parents, you want to do all that you can to keep your child's weight under control. Choosing apples as desserts, while perhaps only choosing other sweets on occasion, is a smart choice in this regard. 

No Sugar Crash

Although an apple has sugar, it is of the natural variety, rather than added. Additionally, the fiber of the apple means that your child's system will take in the sugar slowly, which isn't the case with candy and sweetened baked goods. All of this means that consuming an apple won't cause your child's energy to surge and then crash — and perhaps leave you wondering why your child seems lethargic and scheduling a pediatric visit to check. So, the next time that you're in the grocery store's produce section, make a plan to load up on apples so that your child can enjoy one daily — and you might also wish to do the same.