Are apple bacteria good or bad? It depends on the apple was reported by Maria Cohut for MedicalNewsToday.com, July 2019.  Does an apple a day really keep the doctor away, as the saying goes? According to a new study, this largely depends on which types of bacteria the apple carries.  INTERESTING!

Apples are one of the most popular fruits in the world. In 2018, the United States alone produced approximately 5.13 million tons of apples, according to some statistic reports. This much loved fruit is an excellent source of nutrients, containing vitamin C, multiple B-complex vitamins, natural antioxidants, and numerous minerals. Apples are also a good source of dietary fiber.

However, as with any other raw food, apples are also a source of microorganisms that enter the gut and colonize it. Although usually temporary, this exchange of bacteria can have implications for health.

Recently, a team of researchers from Graz University of Technology in Austria decided to find out more about the bacteria that come with our “apple a day.”  More specifically, they were interested in finding out whether there was a difference between the bacterial populations carried by organic, hand-grown apples, and those present in typical store-bought apples, which have often had more exposure to chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The team’s findings, which appear in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology, highlight just how many bacteria a typical apple carries. They also show how the bacterial populations present in organic apples may affect the fruit’s taste and the consumer’s health.

Freshly harvested, organically managed apples harbor a significantly more diverse, more even and distinct bacterial community, compared to conventional ones. This variety and balance would be expected to limit overgrowth of any one species, and previous studies have reported a negative correlation between human pathogen abundance and microbiome diversity of fresh produce.  In regular store-bought apples, potentially harmful bacteria seemed to be more abundant. By contrast, organic apples appeared to contain a more significant number of healthful bacteria.

Escherichia-Shigella — a group of bacteria that includes known pathogens — was found in most of the conventional apple samples, but none from organic apples. For beneficial Lactobacilli — of probiotic fame — the reverse was true

Read more:  Are apple bacteria good or bad?

How do you bake without eggs? Here are several egg substitutes to choose from when making a birthday cake, brownies, or a family-favorite sweet bread.

Let’s talk about meditation!  Ohmmmmmmmmmmm …

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What makes Waking Up different?  There are hundreds of meditation apps on the market, and several do a fine job of teaching the basic principles of mindfulness. But most present the practice as though it were an ancient version of an executive stress ball.

The purpose of meditation isn’t merely to reduce stress or to make you feel better in the moment—it’s to make fundamental discoveries in the laboratory of your own mind. 

Waking Up guides you through a 50-day introductory course, teaching a progressive series of meditation techniques, before unlocking access to an ongoing series of daily meditations.

Waking Up also contains a growing curriculum of short talks by Sam Harris (neuroscientist, philosopher, and best-selling author) on a wide variety of topics relevant for deepening your practice.

Waking Up is free to download and offers access to the first 5 meditations from the 50-day introductory course, along with 5 short talks. To gain full access to the expanding course, you will need to purchase an in-app subscription for either $14.99 US/month or $119.99 US/year.  GUARANTEE: If you complete the 50-day course and don’t find it valuable, we want you to have your money back. Please email us at info@wakingup.com to receive a full refund.

Learn more:  Waking Up

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Calm, the #1 app for meditation and sleep, voted the Apple App of the Year, 2017.  Available through Apple App Store and Google Play.

Calm is the #1 app for meditation and mindfulness. Enjoy 100+ guided meditations to help you manage anxiety, lower stress and sleep better. Calm is the perfect mindfulness app for beginners, but also includes hundreds of programs for intermediate and advanced users.

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