Apple Cider Nutrition Facts: Health Benefits, Side Effects Revealed!

Apple cider is made from apple juice.

There is still some pulp in it, as well as additional minerals and vitamins. It may or may not have been pasteurized, a technique that involves heating a liquid to a specific temperature in order to kill microorganisms.

Apple juice is filtered juice that has been heated to 190 F (87.77 C) during the manufacturing process. Cider in the USA is not the same as cider in other nations.

While 'cider' in the United States usually refers to unfiltered apple juice freshly squeezed, it also refers to an alcoholic drink known as 'hard cider' in other areas of the world. Hard cider is rich in calcium.

Fresh apples have the same nutrient type as apple cider. Because it's just juice, the quantities are smaller. Cider, on the other hand, has a plethora of health benefits as it helps in maintaining cholesterol.

According to a daily diet apple cider has 1.02 oz (29 g) carbs, 0 oz (0 g) fatty acids, 0 oz (0 mg) Vitamin C, and 110 calories. It has less calcium but 0.004 oz (120 mg) of potassium.

The total fat (saturated fat) is very low in this cider, which avoids weight gain, decreases bad cholesterol, and controls blood sugar levels.

Nutritional daily values of this food contribute to helping with weight loss and fulfillment of dietary fiber. The vitamin D and sodium content of apple cider also help in satisfying the daily body needs.

Apple Cider Making Process

First, you need to start by selecting those apples that are sweet. This way, you won't need to add extra sugar to the process later on.

Most people add sugar later on because they use underripe apples for the purpose. It's not much healthier than avoiding adding sugar.

You can either buy the apple from the grocery store or go and pick it up on your own. If you want to prepare cider in large quantities, then you should visit the farm to collect fresh apples. Before starting, do not forget to wash and sterilize all your tools and jars.

You can simply use the dishwasher for that purpose, or you can wash them in hot water. Do not forget to leave them in boiling water for 10 minutes for proper sanitation.

After washing and cleaning the apples, you can chop them or mash them. Avoid peeling the entire apple.

Now comes the step of boiling. Fill the water to 4 in (10.1 cm), and put the apples in it. Put on the lid.

At the start, the heat must be high, but after some time, the heat should be slowly decreased to medium. After proper boiling, you can simply plop the boiled apples into a big plastic sieve.

If you want, you can also refrigerate it for a day or two, and later decant it. Now put this cider into a big pot. You can add cinnamon to improve the taste, as done by most people.

Fill this cider into clean jars and put these jars into a hot container of boiling water for a few minutes. Finally, take out these jars to cool down from the water and refrigerate it for further use.

Apple Cider Health Benefits

Apple cider, if seen in its purest form, is just the juice of mashed and chopped apples. The amount of polyphenols present in the cider gives many health benefits. Cider may not have the exact concentration of polyphenols that raw apples have, but this helps in improving health and lowering the odds of cancer and inflammation.

The antioxidants that are found in apples are called flavonoids. These can also be seen in cider. This antioxidant helps in fighting free radical damage.

Free radicals can occur naturally in the body or through any natural source like sunlight. Flavonoids have the ability to neutralize free radicals before they have a chance to damage the cells in the body. These antioxidants also help in fighting chronic illnesses like various heart diseases and cancer.

According to research, the antioxidants in apples greatly reduce the risk of thrombotic stroke and type 2 diabetes. The advantage that cider enjoys over hot apple juice is ‘pulp’.

Apples are also containers of huge amounts of fiber, which we can miss by drinking the juice. But by drinking the cider, which has a lot of pulp in it, the fiber content still remains an appreciable amount.

If you drink apple cider daily, the sugar and vitamin D content will help with improving your digestion and weight loss. Fiber also helps in controlling the appetite by making you feel full.

Difference Between Apple Juice And Apple Cider

Apple juice and apple cider are both very flavorful beverages made from pressed apples. Apple cider is more opaque and browner as compared to apple juice. Apple cider has a richer, tangier apple flavor as compared to apple juice. Apple juice is sweet and light.

In some recipes, you can swap both according to availability. Apple juice is very rarely served hot, but apple cider can be served both hot and cold, according to the taste of the person.

To increase the shelf life of apple juice, it is filtered to remove the pulp and blended with sugar, water, or other ingredients such as preservatives. Apple cider is simply the unsweetened liquid form of whole apples.

Apple Cider Nutritional Profile per Serving

Here is some nutritional information and daily values.

According to studies, when you consume a cup of apple cider, which is approximately 8 oz (226.79 g), you will get 120 calorie and the following nutrients: protein: 0.01 oz (0.3 g), fats: 0.01 oz (0.3 g), carbohydrate: 0.98 oz (28 g), fiber: 0.017 oz (0.5 g), sugar: 0.84 oz (24 g), and polyunsaturated fat: 0.0035 oz (0.1 g).

Apart from that, apple cider also has many minerals and vitamins like calcium, potassium, iron, vitamin C, vitamin A, and phosphorous.

Polyphenols are present in large quantities in apple cider, which act as antioxidants. They help in fighting against cell damage and free radicals, lowering the risk of many types of cancer, heart disease, and diabetes.

Polyphenols help in easing inflammation in the body.