What Does “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” Mean?

The use of idiomatic expressions and proverbs in writings and speeches has evolved over the years and a lot of changes and revisions have been made to the ideas they convey. Lots of people use this proverb without having a full understanding of what it means, so they end up using it wrongly. Hop in and you will find out what “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” means.

The idiom “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” means eating healthy foods improves the state of one’s health thereby reducing the number of visits to the hospital. We use this proverb to caution a person who is eating unhealthily with no inclination to change.

While the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” may seem to have one meaning, we will do everything possible to make you have an extensive understanding of the proverb. In this article, we will dive into the details so you can use the proverb more easily.

What Does “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” Mean?

Unlike idiomatic expressions that infer a meaning that you cannot get from the actual words, proverbs are famous sayings that proffer advice on how a person should behave or expresses a belief that is accepted to be true. It is a common thing for people to spice up their sentences and speeches with proverbial phrases and idiomatic expressions.

Proverbs are an important aspect of any language and it is imperative to have a full understanding of what they mean and how to use them correctly. Else, there will be complications and complexities when you use them which invariably defeats the aim of communication.

We will look at the origin of the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” before diving into what the proverb entails. Knowledge of the origin makes the usage of the proverb fun and entertaining.

When we talk about the origin of the proverb, we will see where and when the proverb was first used. We will also discover the originator of the popular saying. This should be a lot of fun for you.

The proverbial phrase “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” is known to have originated from a member country of Great Britain, Wales. Though the original expression was not “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.”

There are controversies over when the expression was first used. Some claim the first time the expression was used is in 1866, in a Welsh publication called Notes and Queries.

Yet again, there are claims that the expression is a Pembrokeshire Proverb. It was published in The Bradford Observer, a magazine on the 1st of March 1866 in Pembrokeshire a county of south-western Wales.

You must know that apples were used to refer to any round fruit at the time the expression was used. Any round fruit that grew on trees was referred to as an apple in Old English.

The expression was published by an English bibliographer, author, editor, and lawyer William Carew Hazlitt in 1869, he lived from 1834-1913.

It was also published in the States of America by Lawrence Kansas in his journal The Lawrence Daily Journal on the 21st of December 1888.

The modern version of the Pembrokeshire Proverb came into use in the early 20th century. It was published in an American magazine known as The Country Gentleman in 1913. Some claim Elizabeth Wright published it in Rustic Speech and Folk-lore, the same year The Country Gentleman first used it.

Although the American Heritage Dictionary of Idioms acknowledges that the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” was first used in 1630, there are no citations to ascertain its first use.

Now that we have made the origin behind the use of this proverbial phrase understandable, we will dive into its meaning.

Like all proverbs, a form of advice, wisdom, or philosophy is expressed succinctly. And sometimes, the meaning is pretty literal. While some have a metaphoric approach, others have a literal approach.

So, with this in mind, the meaning of the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” is straightforward. Though, it does not mean eating an apple every single day will make you healthy and not make you visit the hospital. It means eating healthily (healthy foods; balanced diet) will make a person have a healthy body while reducing the number of visits to the doctor.

The apple used the in proverb does not refer to eating an apple, it was used because, in Old English, apple is used as a common name for all-round fruits. And the English believed eating fruit daily improves the chances of staying healthy.

The apple refers to healthy food habits, so when you include fruits and vegetables in your regular diet, you are complying with the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away.”

How To Use the Idiom “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away”

Now, we will look at how you can use this proverb correctly when writing or making a sentence. Having the proper knowledge on how to use it correctly makes it easier for you to use it in a sentence and still convey the correct message to the recipient.

You use the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” when referring to a healthy eating habit. This means that the expression is only used when we are talking about eating habits and healthy living.

The proverb is also used when giving a piece of advice to someone who constantly enjoys eating junk food. Parents mostly emphasize it when talking to their children about the reduction of their intake of junk food.

So, when you see someone who doesn’t eat healthily, and you are trying to tell that person that eating healthy foods is very necessary for his health, you tell that person “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away”.

Now, that we have fully established the origin, meaning, when, and how to use the proverbial phrase “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” correctly, we will proceed by looking at various examples containing the expression.

More Idioms

• Right as Rain
• The Calm Before the Storm
• Well Begun Is Half Done

Illustrative Examples of the use of the idiom “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away”

We have highlighted everything you need to understand about this proverb, so for better clarity, we will take a look at some examples.

1. Every time I visit my grandmother with my siblings and cousins, we are always offered fresh fruits and vegetables after every main meal because my grandmother believes an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
2. My younger sister constantly insists on eating apples every day since she heard the proverb an apple a day keeps the doctor away until I explained to her what it meant.
3. In school today, we were taught the importance of eating a balanced diet and my teacher explained the meaning of the proverb an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
4. Although he knows an apple a day keeps the doctor away, he still insists on consuming junk food before and after every meal every single day.
5. The principal of my school invited a medical practitioner to advise all students on the effects of excessive intake of junk food, and the first thing the practitioner said was an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
6. Elizabeth’s best friend rarely gets sick. Intrigued by this, Elizabeth asked her what the secret is and she said an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
7. Jonathan has always loved eating pastries and other snacks that are unhealthy until his best friend advised him against it and told him an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
8. An apple a day keeps the doctor away was the first sentence our family doctor said when he was invited by my dad to our house to tell us about the dangers of constantly consuming unhealthy foods.
9. The family doctor was very particular about regular check-ups, although he does not like it, his most common advice to his patients is an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
10. Instead of eating pizza for a snack, take some pineapples, after all an apple a day keeps the doctor away Merissa told David.
11. Sam was not ready to eat healthy foods but now he has to take a lot of medicines, he has gotten a full understanding of the proverb, an apple a day keeps the doctor away.

These examples should cast more light on how you will use the proverb “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away” in a sentence.

Final Thoughts

With all the clarity we have provided on the proverbial phrase “An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away,” we expect you to have a full understanding of how you can use the proverb correctly in a sentence.

So, read up and get the knowledge of how to use the proverb when writing.