Golden apples are bad they cost 8 gold blocks! which costs 72 gold ingots which is 648 gold nuggets. to get those nuggets you need to: kill at least 648 zombie pigmen, or mine 72 gold ingots. with those 648 gold nuggets you can make 648 glistering melons which (considering you have 648 nether warts and 1994 water bottles, you can make 1994 potions of healing! which restore 5832 hearts, or with 648 glowstone dust, 11664 heats.

1994 potions of healing = 5832 hearts
1994 potions of healing II = 11664 hearts
gold apple = maximum 9.5 hearts

better way of getting gold apples EXPLORING DUNGEONS!!