I stumbled upon this recipe when I watched this video titled, “Restoring Gut Health After Antibiotic Use”. In it Dr.Tom O’Bryan explains how the good old Apple Stew or Apple Sauce (as they call it in the US) has great potential for healing leaky gut and feeding the good bacteria in our intestinal microbiome. It sounded easy enough and the thought of stewed apples, raisin and cinnamon just made my mouth water so I thought I’d give it a try!
Ingredients
Serves 4-6
- 4 Apples (Preferably organic)
- Filtered Water
- 1 Cube of Gula Melaka aka Organic Coconut Palm Sugar (Amazon, iHerb)
- Cinnamon (Amazon, iHerb)
Notes: I substituted the handful of raisins in the original recipe for the Gula Melaka because I couldn’t find any preservative-free dried raisins in the local supermarket.
Directions
- Wash the apples, don’t peel the skins off them. If using non-organic apples, wash them with vinegar and baking soda to remove pesticides.
- Cut and dispose of the core and seeds.
- Dice them up into 2-3 inch pieces (small enough to be on a spoon when eating it)
- Throw them in a pot
- Fill the pot with filtered water about 1/3 of the height of the apples.
- Throw in the Gula Melaka and add the Cinnamon liberally to your liking 🙂
- Bring it to a boil and cook for about 8-13 mins. You will know when it’s done when the skin of the apples gets a little shine/shimmer!
Notes:
- The original recipe Dr.Tom mentioned called for 8-10 mins cooking time but I felt the apples weren’t cooked enough yet (still too crunchy) so I waited another 5 mins after which they were slightly softer and the flesh had changed from white to slightly yellowish.
What’s the “shimmer”?
Dr.Tom further explains that the shimmer on the skins of the apples indicating its time to close the fire is a sign of the release of Pectins, the soluble fibre from inside the skin. By releasing it through cooking, this makes it easily accessible to the good bacteria and the lining of our guts, thereby promoting accelerated healing of the gut.
“Since apple pectin is high in fiber, it is used to help regulate bowel movements. It can help firm stools and reduce inflammation associated with diarrhea, as well as help with constipation. It is also used to help treat colitis, irritable bowel disease, and other related digestive disorders.”
Other Benefits of Apple Consumption
Reduces your risk of:
- Cancer, especially lung cancer
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
Improves:
- Asthma and pulmonary function
- Weight loss
Health Benefits:
- Antiproliferative activity -stops cancer cells from spreading. Apples have potent antioxidant activity which can greatly inhibit the growth of liver cancer and colon cancer cells. Interestingly, “nearly all of the antioxidant activity from apples comes from a variety of other compounds”. This prevents DNA oxidation (damage).
- Inhibition of lipid oxidation – preventing free-radical damage to important fats in the body
- Lowers high cholesterol
This post contains affiliate links.
References:
Gut Healing Apple Stew!
A sweet dessert or snack that is amazing at gut lining, feeding good bacteria and has many other health benefits!
Ingredients
- 4 Apples (preferrably organic)
- Filtered Water
- 1 cube of Gula Melaka
- Cinnamon (prepare to use this liberally)
Directions
- Wash the apples, don’t peel the skins off them. If using non-organic apples, wash them with vinegar and baking soda to remove pesticides.
- Cut and dispose of the core and seeds.
- Dice them up into 2-3 inch pieces (small enough to be on a spoon when eating it)
- Throw them in a pot and fill the pot with filtered water about 1/3 of the height of the apples.
- Throw in the Gula Melaka and add the Cinnamon liberally to your liking 🙂
- Bring it to a boil and cook for about 8-13 mins. You will know when it’s done when the skin of the apples gets a little shine/shimmer!
Notes
- Replace Gula Melaka with a handful of preservative-free Raisins or other natural sugars like Raw Honey
- Adjust level of water according to how diluted or sweet you want the “stew” or “sauce” to be
- Adjust cooking time according to how crunchy you want to apples to be. Just watch them cook!
Do you have another simple, quick, healthy snack recipe I could try? Comment below!
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JT 
Sounds delicious… And easy!
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It really is!
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When is the best time to eat the apples?
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Great question! I guess it really depends on you, your goals and preferences.
I like it as a dessert but others on the internet would recommend eating it before a meal (as with most fruits).
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What about making the apples more into a “sauce” I am wondering how that would work with the skin of the apple?
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I haven’t tried to be honest but I’m thinking it could work! Just keep simmering until the liquid is reduced.
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