Originally Posted by nogoodforyou

Just when Nora was about to raise her hand to suggest another expression, the professor went on. She also couldn't help but glare at the blackboard, when it wrote a boring next to her idea. Hmph.

"It means that we should eat healthy food to keep healers away," she said with her hand in the air, and then let it fall back on the desk.

Originally Posted by sevensnared

Originally Posted by McFeisty

"Eat a lot of apples" India said matter of factly - thats what it meant she knew that much...but what did it really mean. "I know Apples are a good source of natural sugars and are used in many muggle diets..." Thrumming her finger onto her hand as she thought she quickly added "Apples are also a great source of Vitamin C so they can help reduce cholestoral - and help with the immune system in general...I also heard that they are a good food for Insulin deprived individuals because they raise the blood sugar in a way that is not too high." She smiled nervously.

Maybe her answer was too muggle.

Originally Posted by Con_Stripes

Originally Posted by BanaBatGirl

"Like the others said," Tori lazily flung her hand in the air, "an apple a day means that eating healthily, like fruits and veggies, will keep away most diseases and will prevent you from ever needing to see a Healer."

Or, like Corey basically said, feeding your local Healer a poisoned apple every day would do the trick.

Originally Posted by EW_FAN

"Professor I think this means that eating an apple a day would keep you in good health and therefore would keep the doctor or in this case the healer away. Or another way of saying it is that if you eat an apple a day there would be less chances of you becoming ill and having to go to the doctor or the healer."

What did it mean to him personally?
"I think it is true as not just apples but many fruits contain good amounts of vitamins and anti-toxins which are good for our health, so eating these fruits would keep colds and flus at bay meaning less trips to the doctor.... I mean healer." Harvey surprised himself at how he answered this question, but hoping that he was along the right track.

Originally Posted by Tommehbell

Harlow raised her hand, "I think it means that taking care of yourself is always cheaper than fixing yourself up once you're broken," she offered. "I mean apples are like 4 knuts as opposed to going to St. Mungos and getting a huge bill because you didn't exercise like you were supposed to." That's what she thought it meant anyways. "It makes sense to me." After all Harlow was the smartest girl she knew. She smiled at the silly thought.

Originally Posted by sweetpinkpixie

Did he just look...disappointed that she hadn't said more on her answer? Was there no pleasing this man? Kurumi sat up a bit more straight when he began addressing each student individually and smiled at the first year who had especially peaked his interest. Apple a day keeps the doctor away. Yep, she had certainly heard that one a lot before.

Ever so slowly, Kurumi began to raise her hand to speak. "Professor, the non-magical expression mentioned I believe originated in Wales, but the wording was a bit differently." Not that she knew the original wording, but she had read about it somewhere. Something about keeping doctor's from receiving their pay. "The expression then meant quite literally what it says. Eat apples and you will stay healthy." She took a moment to nod to those who answered before her about this.

And now, well, he had asked for it. They didn't call her cookie girl for nothing. She KNEW her ingredients.

"Our wizarding variant, replacing doctor with Healer may have originated in a different place," or maybe the same? "...but I have always seen it as saying the same thing. Apples are extremely beneficial to our health. They offer bone protection due to some of the compounds found in apples. Specifically...phloridzin, which is only found in apples. Also, apples can help ease the effects of asthma and help prevent Alzheimer's. As has already been mentioned, they lower cholesterol...and can also help prevent many types of cancer. My brother...he has diabetes, and he has apples daily because they lower's the body's need for insulin." She paused for a moment, almost wincing really, as she expected him to come down on her once again for 'sharing facts that were unnecessary' or whatever. "Apples...also can help with weight loss."

Her hand was getting tired by this point, but she was afraid to lower it while she spoke. No telling what the man would do.

"So...taking all this into account, eating apples significantly lowers your chances of becoming sick or injured and therefore you wouldn't need to visit the Healer or...as the expression implies...have them come to you."

She thought for a moment. "Professor, if the expression originated in the same place as the non-magical one...Helga Hufflepuff was from Wales and especially skilled in cooking charms...is it possible that she was the one who, um, coined the expression?"

That would be a nice little historical connection right there.

Originally Posted by ArianaBlack

Nika raised an eyebrow. Well wasn't this quote self explanatory? UNLESS this is a trick question and Professor Scabior is really looking for an in depth out of the box answer! HA. Nika has figured it out. Your trick question shall not trick Nika. She's just too smart for that. She smiled as she waved her hand in the air. Well she didn't really have an answer for this one, but she could make it up as she went along right? Really it's improv shouldn't be too hard.

"Maybe it means that healers don't like apples so you have to have apples with you everyday so that they will keep away from you!" HA. Original answer. No one else had mentioned that healers might not like apples. "And well... To me it means discrimination." Where she was going with this Nika had no idea, "Because healers shouldn't discriminate against apples! Apples are fruit too and they are actually really delicious."

Originally Posted by Granger1814

Kourtney listened carefully to the answers around her. There were some really good answers, but no one had really answered the second part of the professor's question. So instead of re-hashing the 'apples are good for your health' she decided to speak on the other question.

Raising her hand, she began. "Personally, I do believe that eating apples...or any kind of fruit on a regular basis would be good for your health and would be beneficial in keeping up ones energy levels. However, I don't feel as though it always keeps the Healer away. There are too many other factors in catching a cold or becoming ill than simply consuming the proper foods daily or living the right kind of lifestyle."

Originally Posted by kaseyus

Alyssa thought about the saying. It sounded so much like the muggle saying, 'An apple a day, keeps the doctor away'. She believed that the saying was true and not just what her Mom said just to convince her to eat more fruits.

So she raised her hand and when acknowledged, stood up and answered,"Sir, the saying literally means what it says. That if we eat apples daily, there won't be a need for us to see the healer and yes, I believe the saying is true. The reason I say this is because I remember reading somewhere in a Health magazine that apples contain more properties than any other fruit has and that it's benefits have been proven over and over again. The magazine explained that even though we could get the benefits of these properties individually from other fruits, an apple combines everything and makes it simpler. For example some of the properties in apples help boost ones immune system and fight colds and diseases. That alone keeps the healer away. But in addition to boosting our immune system, the properties in an apple, also helps prevent heart diseases, lower calories, prevent cancers, help reduce bad cholesterol and increase good cholesterol, prevent tooth decay, protect our brain from brain disease and helps strengthens our lungs. In fact, eating apples also helps build a healthy and balanced diet, and all that keeps us healthy and when we're healthy, there is no need for the healer to come and heal our ailments, because we won't have any" Alyssa ended her explanation with a smile.

Originally Posted by alchemist_18

Raven raised her hand and give the meaning of those statement.

"It means prevent is better that cure."

Originally Posted by lazykitty

The professor seemed taken a back at her answer. Oh well, at least she tried. Sky sat and listened to her classmates for a second. Hmm… she'd never heard the bit about the apple seeds having cyanide before. And what was that Gryffindor prefect, a human encyclopedia? Sky raised her hand. "I think it means that if you eat your fruits, overall you'll be healthier. Personally, I agree."

Originally Posted by RachieRu

Originally Posted by Jason Potter Weasley

William raised his hand. " I believe that the saying means be careful of what you do" William told the professor." It a;so means take care of your body" William said to the professsor." I believe in te saying "An apple a day keps the helaer away" as long as O am not over careful not eat just competely healthy" William explained to the professor.

Originally Posted by Miss Marilyn

Lies?! Marilyn was horrified by the idea. Why would someone lie about food?

Raising her hand, she answered. "Um, I believe it's much to do about eating right and not putting a bunch of junk in your system. I suppose it could also reference working out and just staying healthy in general..."

Was there anything she wanted to add..."I know that certain foods are known to improve our immune systems in different ways. I drink a lot of orange juice and eat green, lefty vegetables. Vitamin c and all that..."

Originally Posted by nups21

Ira raised her hand and answered, "According to me, as my mother used to say, apples may be good for us but it wasn't only because of their medicinal properties that were being highlighted when this phrase was coined. Rather actually here, an apple meant all the fruits in general. So it isn't a lie but it isn't even the complete truth. Eating only an apple cannot guarantee good health"

Originally Posted by iceblossom22

"My mother used to tell me this, while she was alive," she mused. "She said that it was because apple skin is a rich source of anti-oxidants, which aids in preventing oxygen related damage. They also reduce chances of cancer and Asthma, is good for digestion...." she said. "And aids in weight loss."

"It's not entirely true, however, as even religious apple-eaters do fall sick sometimes. They don't exactly render your immune system perfect or anything..." she added, making it a point.

Hopefully, that was enough.

Originally Posted by hjhm

Originally Posted by luna-p

Ashley got busy writing as he'd thought it would be good to write some of these down, especially the ones he'd either never heard before, or only heard very seldomly. Once he had a fair few taken down, he raised his hand to try and offer his opinion on the new topic at hand.
"I thought it meant that you should always take care of yourself so that you don't end up getting so sick you need a healer. But I used to think you literally had to eat an apple once a day and you would never get sick." And no one ever felt the need to clear that up for him, either! It wasn't until he fell out of a tree once that he realized all those apples did nothing to protect him.

Originally Posted by tomewitch

"Professor, they have already said almost the whole objective of that saying and I think they did a rather great job. So I'll just give my opinion on this." she started, "I personally think that the saying is true. It is very true indeed for we need nutrition everyday. But I also think that eating the right kinds of food aren't the only factors that can affect your body development. You also need exercise and many other nutrients not only intended for the body but for your whole being as well." So that was her opinion.

Originally Posted by Jezabel Black

Originally Posted by Trish

"Professor, it basically means if you eat your fruit and vegetables everyday, then your less likely to need a healer - or doctor in the muggle world, where they have a similar saying"...

It was common sense really!

Originally Posted by Pixxi

Slowly, she raised her hand and carefully chose her words, "'An apple a day, keeps the Healer away' is something my mum used to say to me when I was little. I think it means that... If you eat healthy, your body stays strong and... You don't get sick." She didn't want to explain more in case she was wrong.

Originally Posted by Roselyn

Blink blink.

Staring at some of these people as they gave their answers, Evelyn couldn't quite tell when some of them would stop talking. How in the world did they know so much about apples? Why would anyone NEED to know that much? It was an apple. It was healthy. It tasted good. It made people NOT hungry. That was all that one needed to know.

"Apples are rather healthy food..." she said slowly after raising her hand, tearing her gaze away from Cookie Girl. What was she saying again? "And most of the time people feel healthy if they eat healthy foods so there would be no need to visit a healer, unless you're allergic to...apples..." If that was the case, then they probably shouldn't eat apples.

Originally Posted by Magical Soul

.Looking at the professor next, blank cold stare, she raised her hand. "I think the bigger meaning of this expression.." Emphasizing on the last word so he knew she DID pay attention and was aware of the word, "..is to encourage humans to consume natural food instead of processed one." Pause. "And demonstrate that the former keeps you healthy while the latter could get you sick more often."

Originally Posted by kyosgirl92

Violet smiled a bit happy about the teachers praise then thought about the expression she had used raising her hand. "I believe that phrase means that when you do healthy things such as eating apples there is less likely reason to go to the doctors…err I mean healers because you are eating healthy and not eating food bad for you and making yourself sick. Which in my opinion is true I don't eat very healthy and get sick not so often but I realise if I were to eat healthier it would probably be less and also you don't hear about people over eating healthy food and having to go to the hospital for stomach aches or things like that…at least not very often."

Originally Posted by CreativeAllie18

"In a literal sense it teaches that if you eat at least one apple a day, it will keep you healthy enough that you won't need to go to the healers. In the 19th century, at least in a muggle concept, the saying probably was meant to help factory workers living in the horrific city conditions in Europe during the 19th century," Adam offered. That made sense yes? "There were so many diseases and malnutrition circling, that this was probably a small step towards encouraging people to eat healthier. Personally I don't think the statement is true entirely on its own, but when put into a larger scheme it can be true. I think the saying could be broadened to mean eating healthily will help keep the doctor away, but obviously you'd need to eat more than just an apple a day to remain healthy."

Originally Posted by Herminny

"Um, to me an apple a day keeps the doctor away is perposterous cause I am alergic to apple but I know what they mean. Eating healthy is a good thing. It helps keep us healthy as long as don't eat anything we may be alergic too or eat unhealthilly. Both will definately have you going to the healer quite often", Nathan responded with his hand raised high ending with a smirk.

Originally Posted by cheeseStrings

Janice raised her hand and answered.
"Well, apples are healthy. I think it is true since if you eat healthy foods you don't get sick easily." True enough.

Originally Posted by ToxicWings333

"It kinda means eat healthy foods so you won't get sick. My gran would would say something a bit different though.... Eat an apple on going to bed, And you'll keep the Healer from earning his bread." Sage recieted back to the professer. Sage wasn't sure why some people didn't like History of Magic, she was enjoying it so far!

Originally Posted by FearlessLeader19

Jory raised his hand and gave his answer.
"Well, apples are considered a fruit very good for heath. I think apples were used in that saying -though another healthy fruit or food could have been used- to mean that eating healthy foods keep you fit and you would not have to be visiting the doctor/healer unnecessarily,'' the young Huffie said. "I agree with the saying since eating right can help as you older.''

Originally Posted by jesifur

Jesifur thought about the expression.

An apple a day keeps the healer away.

She raised her hand when called upon she said,"To me that expression means to eat healthy in general, eating whole foods is way more healthy for you than eating junk foods. The more wholesome food you eat the less likely your chances are to need a healer."
Hoping that would suffice she went back to taking note on the other things said.

Originally Posted by Devina Wellheart

Justin finally was able to participate in the discussion and he wasn'y about to miss out on this one opportunity. So, up shot his hand , " Professor Scabior, it is a literal translation. Apples are good for you.They're packed with fiber and other imoprtant vitamins. Eating an apple a day can stave off scurvy . "

Originally Posted by littledhampir

Isobel raised her hand for that one. "Well apples are healthy, and healthy people generally don't need to see the Healer." That was what she thought it meant, even if she had said that specifically.

Originally Posted by caithal97

Originally Posted by Kimalia

"An apple a day, keeps the Healer away.." Kimalia swore she heard that expression somewhere, though it wasn't Healer.. Hm. Probably from her muggle primary school, but oh well. Now she had to figure out what it meant. Kimalia rose her hand, "Well, apples are delicious.. maybe it's like a bribery if you give a Healer an apple, they would see so reason to-" Oh no, no, no.. That wouldn't make sense at all! Kimalia blinked in surprise, what was she saying?! "Wait, that's not right, since Healers are the best at curing people, perhaps it's just a reminder to keep eating an apple so you wouldn't need one?" Kimalia felt herself warm up, she was regretting mentioning the word "bribery" in an expression that was meant to be used as advice.

Originally Posted by vijaya

Lucy looked around the others who were saying the answers. Lucy had the same thing going on in her mind. Well, maybe that was true she thought. Raising her hand she said "Professor, It means that we should eat an apple everyday so that our health is good as apple contains many vitamins that are need for our body to keep it fit and fine. And, if we don't eat it, then we would have to go to various process that the healer gives us to get out body fit and fine again?" she said and brought her hand down.

Originally Posted by Boomshakalaka

Man, Damon thought, he had only been trying to lighten the mood with his joke. This Professor didn't like them obviously. He didn't really care about the points though. Damon hadn't really been paying attention to the class until he heard the teacher quote his mother. He paled.

"An apple a day, keeps the healer away."

Damon leant forward and gritted his teeth, trying to keep the tears in, hoping nobody had noticed his reaction.

Before he had the chance to realise what he was doing he said, "It's a saying that was created for parents to say to their kids. I mean what child likes a healer? It's a lie. Yes, typically an apple is healthy, good for you, but in the end it isn't going to prevent illness or death. If you get ill, you get ill. It's inevitable. You can't not be ill for your entire life. Even if you do eat an apple every day, it isn't going to cure you, make you healthy for the rest of your life. So I hate to pop anyone's bubble but it's just a saying, nothing more. It didn't save her." He stopped. Did he really just say that out loud?

He grimaced, he really needs to learn to keep his mouth shut.

Originally Posted by Quick Quotes Quill

Blink.Blink. Was this even a question?, Gwendolyn told herself, trying not to stare at the Professor. An apple a day, keeps the Healer away, she kept repeating in her head. It's kind of catchy, though... Now... let's see- I should say something smarter than just 'apples are healthy'. Or- why not? Better than nothing, the girl decided,raising her hand. 'Apples contain Vitamin C-', she started saying, but made a short break. After a couple of seconds, she went on talking: 'That's good for the immune system. Aaand...do something that reduces cholesterol' Or so I've read in some muggle book. The only muggle book I ever read, actually...

'This is kind of true. But not entirely... Not ONLY apples can keep you healthy', the young Ravenclaw said. 'Professor? I'm not sure about this... but wasn't any fruit that was round and grew on a tree considered an apple?A looong time ago, of course' Duh, Gwendolyn... this is history class. That implies ancient stuff...

Originally Posted by MadAlice

Violet had raised her hand and spoke when it was her turn. "It's true in a way--apples, like many fruits, are really good for you. But if you only ate apples every day, and ignored other fruits and vegetables, then you would be missing out on things. And no matter how healthy you eat, eventually you will get hurt or sick and need a Healer for something."

Originally Posted by DanialRadFAN01

Hmmmm....August had heard the muggle version of that saying many times before and since a Healer was just the Magical comparrison of a Nurse or Doctor, the Gryffindor assumed it meant the same thing.

After raising his hand, August spoke to the Professor, which he REALLY liked so far. "Professor, I personally don't believe the saying refers to eating an apple specifically each day keeps you away from Healers but the fact that if you eat healthily you are far less prone to sickness. And for the most part I think it is true. Well as long as you rule out diseases that aren't controlled by good eating habits."

Originally Posted by Audux254

Raising her hand she gave a shot at the answer, " Same as what most people are saying, That eating an apple a day will keep you healthy enough so you don't have to visit the healer....but it is false, cause last time I checked apples can't save you from spell errors and broken bones." the little tomboy was sure to put some emphasis on 'last time I checked' with an almost suspicious air to her voice, because really, she wanted there to be some amazing apple out there.

"...Other than that....it's true about keeping you healthy...."

And now Eris craved an apple.

Originally Posted by dragon_star

Haha. That is a cool motto!


Victoria hopped that would work on her. But unfortunately apples don't help travel sicknesses. Boo.

"It means that eating apples is really good for your health. Eating apples daily keeps you good health which would let you avoide seeing the healer." answered Victoria after raising her hand.

Originally Posted by WeasleyGirl

Nikolas has heard this saying a lot of times, but never thought of what it meant. He read what was written on the board and analyzed it for a second before raising his hand and say his answer.

"I think it means that if you eat healthy everyday it would make you less likely to get ill or in this case going to the healer." he concluded.