You know the age-old health aphorism: “An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” Although no one food can keep disease at bay, apples are nutritious fruits that may help your weight-loss efforts and offer a variety of other health benefits.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away — unless, of course, you’ve been washing them incorrectly this whole time. Yep, a new study from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst suggests simply rinsing apples with water might not be enough to get rid of the synthetic insecticides sprayed on most conventional varieties — and these lingering pesticides can potentially have harmful effects on your health .

Apples are an affordable and versatile staple in the average American diet. Available in a range of varieties that differ in texture and sweetness, apples can add flavor to soups, salads or baked goods, or provide an easy and quick snack to be consumed on the go.

Apples are all created the same, nutritionally, but baking and drying create new textures and flavors. Baked apples tend to have additives, such as sugar, that will decrease the nutritional value.

In addition to the low calories and the high fiber, the acid found in apples makes them a smart choice for building and maintaining good health. In fact, apples are a rich source of ascorbic and malic acid.

Any food or beverage that contains sugar, fat or alcohol could increase your triglycerides. Apples and bananas, natural sources of sugar, could theoretically increase your triglycerides.

Most apples are similar in nutrient content. A large Gala apple offers many health benefits. Apples are in season in the summer and fall, but are sold year-round in most supermarkets. Gala apples typically arrive in stores in August and are red-orange with yellow stripes.

There are as many as 7,500 apples grown worldwide, and about 3,000 varieties of pears found around the globe. Nutritional content can vary depending on variety, as well as whether you're eating canned, fresh, dried or frozen apples or pears.

Babies between the ages of 4 and 6 months can start to eat solid foods, although breast milk or formula should still the supply the majority of calories at this age.

For optimal health, Americans should try to increase their fruit intake to comply with the recommendations of ChooseMyPlate.gov. Pears and apples are two fruit options available year-round in the United States and are easy to include in your diet.

At 1/4 to 2 inches in diameter, crabapples look like miniature versions of regular apples. However, a crabapple has a sour, pithy taste. Despite their unpleasant sharpness, crabapples generally aren't dangerous. Crabapples might give you a sore stomach if you eat a few, but they won't cause poisoning.

With a range of bright colors such as red, yellow and green, apples are one of the oldest fruits known to man. Though crabapples are the only apples to originate in the United States, all 50 states grow them as a food crop.