Skin health reflects how your body is feeling too.

We have all heard of the saying “an apple a day keeps the doctor away,” and to be honest, it’s one thing that we all do in the Essence of Egypt office – eat an apple every day. Indeed, its compulsory. In the beginning, not all of us were apple lovers, so to speak. Some of our staff had to be encouraged. But thankfully, we are all now singing from the same hymn sheet.

Some of us are fortunate that we have apple trees in our gardens, and at this time of year we encourage everyone and anyone to bring in samples of their produce. The varieties of apples that have long gone out of fashion with the supermarkets, but are delicious in a number of ways. Of course, some of them are ugly and misshapen, but that doesn’t make them bad. Despite their appearance, they are just as tasty, indeed even more tasty than some of the apples that have been available in the superstores during the summer months.

With every newsletter that we write we always try and support it with scientific data to back up anything that we say, and there is a list of link at the end of this piece. But in our world, the bottom line is that “a crisp apple – preferably organic, local, and eaten with the peel cut – is a small, evidence-based step toward better health, less inflammation, and lower cancer risk.”

Personally, we are a lover of Cox’s Orange Pippins. We haven’t ever seen them in our local supermarket, but we are fortunate that there is a small green-grocer not far from us who stocks apples that are relatively rare.

Cox’s Orange Pippin was first cultivated in 1825 in Buckinghamshire, England by the retired brewer and horticulturalist Richard Cox. Where he sourced this from is relatively unknown, but from what we have read about apples it seems that its parentage was an apple known as the Ribston Pippin. It was first grown in the 1860s, particularly in the Vale of Evesham in Worcestershire. It is regarded for its excellent flavour and attractive appearance, of medium size, with an orange and red colour over Carmine yellow background. The flesh is very aromatic, crisp, and very juicy. Apple-lovers we have heard make comments about the taste much as you would with a good red wine, in that it has “hints of cherry and anise.”

The main takeaway is this:

  1. Eat one whole apple a day – peel and all.
  2. Choose organic when possible. (Non-organic apples rank high and pesticides residues.)
  3. Buy local when you can.
  4. Skip the apple juice, where the processing strips fibre and antioxidants – and adds unwanted sugar.
  5. Whole fruit gives better metabolic and cancer protective effects.
  6. Eat fresh and store wisely. Prolonged cold storage reduces antioxidant activity, so enjoy apples within weeks of purchase. Or like we do in our office, eat them all within days.

Apples are simple, affordable and powerful. And if you want your skin to glow, then our advice is to give this article your attention:

What does science say about apples?
From cancer prevention to overall longevity, there are great benefits by eating them. The problem is that we all know that fruits and vegetables are good for us, but far too many of us don’t eat our five-a-day. Apples are affordable, portable and backed by decades of research linking them to a lower cancer risk, and better survival outcomes.

Eating just one apple a day lowers several digestive cancers by between 18 to 41%. Breast and ovarian cancers are lowered by 24%.  (Turati et al., 2015)

Eating between three and six whole apples per week reduced the mortality risk by 48% in adults with hypertension, but apple juice didn’t help at all.

Apples are not just about vitamin C; their real power comes from their flavonoids and phenolic acids like quercetin, catechins and cholorogenic acid, thereby neutralising oxidative stress and inflammation in the body. They are known to slow tumour growth, and trigger natural death in abnormal (cancer) cells. Additionally, they limit the blood supply to tumours, and they improve our metabolism.

Apples represent what lifestyle medicine is all about – small, consistent actions that add up. It’s not a super food but a daily behaviour that reinforces anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and metabolic balance.

Locally harvested apples retain 10 to 20% more vitamins and antioxidants and support sustainable, low pesticide farming. (Rickman et al., 2007; Pimentel et al., 2005)

In all they contribute towards our better health, less inflammation, lower cancer risk and while they make your body glow with health, your skin benefits just the same.

Last but by no means least, if you are picking apples and your skin suffers if you don’t wear gloves, then check out the wonderful Ess Skin Repair. Its use resolves most problems.

Simple. Affordable. Powerful

References:

  • Turati F, Rossi M, Pelucchi C, Levi F, La Vecchia C. Fruit and vegetables and cancer risk: a review of southern European studies. Br J Nutr. 2015;113(S1):S102–S110.
  • Sun C, Chen Y, Guan Y, et al. The influence of different forms of apple products on all-cause mortality in patients with hypertension. Front Nutr. 2025;11:1461196.
  • Environmental Working Group. EWG’s 2024 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce. 2024.
  • Barański M, Średnicka-Tober D, Volakakis N, et al. Higher antioxidant content in organic crops. Br J Nutr.2014;112:794–811.
  • Oates L, Cohen M, Braun L, et al. Reduction in urinary pesticide metabolites after organic diet intervention. Environ Res. 2014;132:105–111.
  • Rickman JC, Barrett DM, Bruhn CM. Nutritional comparison of fresh, frozen, and stored produce. J Sci Food Agric. 2007;87(6):930–944.
  • Pimentel D, Hepperly P, Hanson J, et al. Environmental, energetic, and economic comparisons of organic and conventional farming systems. BioScience. 2005;55(7):573–582.

Kind regards and best wishes from Jim and all of the team at Essence of Egypt. Check out our website at: https://eoegp.com/