Apples have long been celebrated as a health food, and for good reason! Here are 4 great reasons to eat at least one every day:

Sensible Snacking – A medium apple has just 95 calories, but packs an impressive 4 grams of fiber and supplies 14 percent of your daily value for vitamin C. This significant fiber content makes apples a sensible, filling snack.

Even better news: consumption of dried apples has also been shown to boost weight loss in postmenopausal women. So snack away!

Heart Health – Because the fiber found in apples is of the soluble variety, researchers believe regular consumption could even help lower LDL (or “bad”) cholesterol levels.

Metabolic Syndrome – Adults who eat apples and apple products (like applesauce and juice) have a significantly lower risk of developing metabolic syndrome, a cluster of health problems linked to heart disease and diabetes.

There are, indeed, many reasons to love apples. But let’s not forget that they’re also delicious!

Apples make a tasty addition to baked goods like cookies, cakes, donuts and muffins, but also shine in savory soups and other entrees. Here are 24 of our favorite ways to use this wonder fruit:

Breakfast and Breads:

1. Pumpkin-Coconut-Apple-Oatmeal Breakfast “Crumble”
   
2. Sweet Corn-Apple Porridge
   
3. Apple Protein Donuts
4. Apple Pie Swirl Multigrain Bread Loaf
5. Peanut Butter and Fresh Apple Pancakes with Peanut Butter Maple Syrup
6. Walnut, Squash and Apple Bread
7. Carrot-Apple Muffins

Main Dishes:

1. Chorizo, Apple, and Chickpeas with Fresh Kale and Cashew Sauce
   
2. Acorn Squash Apple Soup
3. Sweet Potato Latkes with Chutney Sour Cream and Curried Onion-Apple-White Bean Topping

Sweet Treats:

1. Apple Fritters with Apple Cider Reduction
2. Dried Apple Stack Cake with Molasses Cream Cheese Frosting
3. Grilled Apple Pie with Vanilla-Coconut Whipped Cream
4. Festive Apple Cake
5. Apple Crisp Cheesecake
6. Cranberry Apple Cobbler Bars
7. Gluten-Free Blueberry Apple Pie Cake

Raw/Lighter Options:

1. Raw Apple Pie Cookies
2. Raw Caramel Apples
3. Raw Caramel Apple Pie
4. Autumn Baked Apples
5. Raw Spring Power Applesauce
6. Homemade Applesauce
7. Love Potion (Red Beet, Pear, Orange, Apple Smoothie)

What’s your favorite way to use apples? Tell us in the comments section below! Got an amazing apple recipe? Share it with us!

Image Credit: iMaffo/Flickr