“An apple a day” might seem like overkill, but America’s most popular fruit — currently weighing down branches in orchards everywhere — is packed with health benefits. Here’s what nutrition experts have to say about apples, plus some recipes from New York Times Cooking to help you eat more of them all year long.

“每天一个苹果”听起来或许有些夸张，但作为美国最受欢迎的水果——此刻正压弯各地果园枝头——苹果确实有许多健康益处。以下是营养专家对苹果的看法，以及《纽约时报》烹饪专栏中一些帮助你全年多吃苹果的食谱。

They’re good for your gut.

苹果是肠道健康卫士。

Apples are rich in dietary fiber, a type of complex carbohydrate that our body isn’t capable of digesting on its own. That fiber acts as food for many of the bacteria species that reside in our guts. These bacteria have a powerful impact on our health, affecting everything from cancer risk, to weight, to mood.

苹果富含膳食纤维，这是一种人体自身无法消化的复合碳水化合物。这种纤维能为生活在我们肠道中的多种菌群提供养分。这些菌群对我们的健康影响深远，涉及从癌症风险、体重到情绪等各个方面。

A diet high in fruits and vegetables, including apples, has been shown to increase the number of beneficial bacteria and decrease the number of harmful bacteria in people’s guts, said Marie van der Merwe, a nutrition scientist at the University of Memphis. That could lead to better overall health, Dr. van der Merwe said.

孟菲斯大学营养学家玛丽·范德默维博士指出，富含果蔬（包括苹果）的饮食能增加肠道有益菌，抑制有害菌，从而提升整体健康水平。

In addition, apples themselves contain a host of beneficial bacteria. (While this is true for all fruits and vegetables, one study found that apples have a greater variety of bacteria than most.) When you eat an apple, some of those bacteria may become part of your microbiome. The apple is “acting like a probiotic in addition to acting like a prebiotic,” Dr. van der Merwe explained.

此外，苹果本身也含有大量有益菌。（虽然所有水果和蔬菜都有这一特性，但有研究发现，苹果所含细菌的种类比大多数水果都要多。）当你吃下苹果时，其中一些细菌可能会成为你肠道微生物群的一部分。范德默维解释说，苹果“既像益生元一样发挥作用，又像益生菌一样起作用”。

They’re heart healthy.

苹果是心脏守护能手。

Apples have high amounts of pectin, a dietary fiber that can help you maintain healthy cholesterol levels. In a 2012 study, 160 postmenopausal women ate either 75 grams of dried apples (equal to about two medium sized apples) or prunes every day for one year. After six months, the women who consumed apples experienced a 13 percent drop in their total cholesterol and a 24 percent drop in “bad” LDL cholesterol, while the women who ate prunes experienced a 3.5 percent drop in total cholesterol and an 8 percent drop in LDL cholesterol.

苹果中含有大量果胶，这是一种有助于维持健康胆固醇水平的膳食纤维。2012年一项研究中，160名绝经后女性每日食用75克苹果干（约等于两个中等苹果）或西梅干，持续一年。六个月后，食用苹果的女性总胆固醇下降了13%，低密度脂蛋白（“坏”胆固醇）下降了24%；而食用西梅的女性总胆固醇下降了3.5%，低密度脂蛋白下降了8%。

Apples are also one of the biggest dietary sources of polyphenols — tiny, health-promoting molecules that plants produce to defend themselves from the elements. Certain polyphenols in apples, called flavonoids, are particularly good at stimulating the production of nitric oxide, a gas that flows through our blood vessels, causing them to dilate. That’s good for blood pressure, said Nicola Bondonno, a postdoctoral researcher at the Danish Cancer Institute who has coauthored several studies on apples.

苹果还是多酚类物质最重要的膳食来源之一——这些促进健康的微小分子是植物为抵御外界侵蚀而产生的。苹果中被称为黄酮类化合物的特定多酚，尤其擅长促进一氧化氮生成。这种气体在血管中流动，使其扩张。与人合作发表了多篇苹果相关论文的丹麦癌症研究所博士后研究员尼古拉·邦多诺指出，这对控制血压大有裨益。

They can reduce chronic inflammation.

苹果具有缓解慢性炎症的作用。

Polyphenols in apples can reduce inflammation — and, in turn, possibly help reduce disease risk. Researchers published a study in August that analyzed health data from more than 119,000 people collected over nearly 20 years, including records of everything they ate over a 24-hour period on five separate occasions. The study found that those who reported eating more than two apples a day in the meal logs had a 30 percent lower chance of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease later on. “We saw benefits even at just half a serving a day,” said Aedin Cassidy, the chair of nutrition and preventive medicine at Queen’s University Belfast and a study co-author. The study found that the association between apples and C.O.P.D. risk was also linked to a reduction in inflammatory markers.

苹果所含的多酚能缓解炎症反应，从而可能帮助降低疾病风险。研究人员于8月发表的一项研究报告分析了11.9万名参与者近20年来的健康数据，记录了受试者24小时内五个不同时间点的详细饮食记录。研究发现，在饮食日志中记录每日食用超过两个苹果的人，后期患慢阻肺的风险降低30%。贝尔法斯特女王大学营养与预防医学系主任、研究合著者艾丁·卡西迪表示：“即使每日仅摄入半个苹果也能观察到益处。”该研究还发现，苹果与慢阻肺风险降低之间的关联也与炎症指标的减少有关。

How to Enjoy Them

食用指南

Apples are most nutritious when you leave the skin on, Dr. Bondonno said: After all, it’s the skin that contains those powerful polyphenols (and much of the fiber). She added that you should wash apples thoroughly before eating them to avoid pesticide exposure.

邦多诺指出，带皮食用最能保留苹果营养：毕竟果皮富含强效多酚（及大部分纤维）。她补充说，食用前应彻底清洗苹果，以去除农药残留。

In general, a darker color apple will have a richer variety of polyphenols, Dr. van der Merwe said. But more important than selecting the deepest red apple you can find is eating different apple varieties, so you can absorb as many different polyphenols as possible, she said.

范德默维表示，一般来说，颜色越深的苹果含多酚种类越丰富。但她强调，比起刻意挑选深红色品种，摄入不同种类的苹果更为重要，这样才能获取尽可能多样的多酚。

Apples are a perfect food all on their own, of course. But these recipes from NYT Cooking will help you work even more into your diet.

当然，苹果本身就是一种完美的食物。《纽约时报》烹饪专栏的这些食谱能助您解锁更多吃法：

1. Apples With Honey and Crushed Walnuts

1. 蜂蜜核桃苹果沙拉

Michael Graydon & Nikole Herriott for The New York Times. Prop Stylist: Kalen Kaminski.

Created as a crunchy take on the traditional Passover dish haroseth, this tangy salad is a welcome bit of freshness on any table, any time of year.

这道食谱是对传统逾越节菜肴哈罗塞的新演绎，口感爽脆、酸甜清新，一年四季都适合端上餐桌。In this comforting one-pot dinner, you get a triple dose of apple — apple cider, cider vinegar and apple slices — alongside chicken and kale.

在这道治愈系一锅料理中，苹果酒、苹果醋与新鲜苹果片——一曲苹果三重奏——与鸡肉和羽衣甘蓝一同炖煮。

• Recipe: Cider-Braised Chicken Thighs With Apples and Greens

食谱：苹果酒焖鸡腿佐绿蔬

3. Bircher Muesli

3. 瑞士什锦麦片

Yossy Arefi for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)

Milk-soaked oats are naturally sweetened with grated apple. You can scatter some more on top for crunch.

食谱：瑞士什锦麦片This light green salad features the unbeatable combination of sweet-tart apples and sharp, salty Cheddar. To turn it into a full meal, add toasted pecans.

这款清新的绿色沙拉将酸甜口感的苹果与辛咸的切达奶酪完美结合。若想让它更饱腹，可加入烤山核桃。

• Recipe: Fall Salad With Apples, Cheddar and Crispy Sage

食谱：秋日苹果切达脆鼠尾草沙拉

5. Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

5. 蜂蜜烤红薯和苹果

Firm apples become nearly jammy when they’re roasted alongside sweet potato spears. They’re just as good cooked with carrots or parsnips.

将质地较硬的苹果与红薯条一同烘烤，苹果会变得几乎像果酱一样柔软。也可以用胡萝卜或欧洲萝卜代替红薯同样美味。

• Recipe: Honey-Roasted Sweet Potatoes and Apples

食谱：蜂蜜烤红薯和苹果