Yes, apple cider can be good for you. But here's why you should avoid overconsumption.
Few holiday tastes or aromas usher in a more welcome or familiar feeling than warm apple cider. Though the beverage has been around since Roman times, interest has grown considerably in recent decades, causing the global cider market to be valued at more than $7 billion in 2022. It's expected to grow further still, reaching more than $11 billion by 2032.
Such growth has occurred as much locally as it has worldwide. "Our sales have increased more than 100% in the past decade," says Will Gormly, owner of the 30-year-old Mountain Cider Company in Vermont.
He cites apple cider's "fantastic flavor" and "nostalgic appeal" among the reasons it's so enduringly popular. Drinking it, he explains, "reminds folks of the holidays and fall activities." He also says the beverage is "a great coffee shop alternative for kids because it doesn’t have caffeine."
Along with such practical advantages, apple cider also offers several nutritional benefits - though its high natural sugar content makes it important to avoid overconsumption.
What is apple cider?
Apple cider is made by "crushing apples and squeezing the juice out of them," explains Gormly. "It's a drink that can be enjoyed cold or hot and without any additional ingredients," says LeeAnn Weintraub, a registered dietician and nutrition consultant based in Los Angeles. More commonly though, "many people like it best when it's spiced with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, cardamom, or other spices," she adds.
Independent of added spices, apple cider is different from apple juice because juice has more of the fine sediments filtered out while apple cider "contains more of the pulp and fiber," says Caroline Susie, a registered dietician and national spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Leslie Bonci, a sports dietitian for the Kansas City Chiefs and founder of Active Eating Advice, adds that because apple juice is always pasteurized and apple cider only sometimes is, apple juice often has a longer shelf life and is clearer and lighter in color. Apple cider, in contrast, is often much darker and "has a stronger, tangier taste and usually does not contain added sweeteners," she says.
There's also a "hard" version of apple cider that's produced "when yeast is added to it to ferment the sugars in the juice into alcohol," explains Bonci.
Is apple cider healthy?
Because non-alcoholic apple cider isn't filtered the same way apple juice is, "it’s less processed and thereby retains more fiber and vitamins," says Lisa Young, a registered dietitian nutritionist, author of "Finally Full, Finally Slim," and an adjunct professor of nutrition at New York University.
Some of the nutrients in apple cider include small amounts of calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, niacin, and iron; plus larger amounts of potassium, "which helps with blood pressure control," says Bonci. And the vitamin C contained in apple cider "helps with immune health," says Young.
Weintraub also praises apple cider for being rich in polyphenols - "important antioxidants that support immune health and may help ward off chronic conditions like diabetes, heart disease and cancer," she says. The pulp in apple cider is also important, notes Susie, because it's a good source of soluble fiber, "which helps with digestive health."
Can you drink apple cider every day?
Despite such benefits, there are reasons to avoid drinking apple cider excessively. For one, apple cider contains high amounts of natural sugars, "about 24-28 grams per serving," says Bonci. Apple cider can also be high in calories - as many as 120 per serving - which can contribute to unwanted weight gain if consumed too frequently.
Another factor to consider is that "unpasteurized apple cider can contain harmful bacteria and should be avoided by people with compromised immune systems including the elderly, pregnant people and young children," cautions Weintraub. Gormly agrees, noting that "for food safety reasons, it’s best to get a pasteurized version when purchasing apple cider."
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What is apple cider?
