- Why Such Popularity?
- Nutrient Content
- Things to Know
- Restrictions
- Recipes
Many of us associate any diet with a complete loss of pleasure from food. Especially if you plan to turn excess weight into its absence. Are you ready to change your mind and get to know a diet that has become increasingly popular in recent years?
Why such popularity?
Apple trees grow almost everywhere, from the subtropics to regions with a rather harsh climate. This is a very common and year-round available fruit, with dozens of main varieties.
It is difficult to say exactly when nutritionists began to recommend apples for weight loss. Their beneficial properties were discovered a very long time ago (it is worth remembering at least old tales). Famous Russian and Soviet scientists – S. P. Botkin, A. G. Zakharyin, A. L. Myasnikov, G. F. Lang – strongly recommended dishes and drinks with them for general health improvement.
On a note. Does exercise cause incredible hunger? Try eating an apple after a gym workout, dancing, or other vigorous activity. This will help to cope with the feeling of hunger and at the same time will not create a serious burden on the tired body.
Nutrient Content
97% of the apple is carbohydrates, 2% is proteins, 1% is fats. This is a product with a low glycemic index: 30 for the whole fruit and 40 for the juice. They contain eight times more iodine than bananas, 13 times more than oranges. Plus key vitamins – A, B, C, E, K and essential minerals – potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, zinc, fluorine. As well as:
- fruit acids (malic, tartaric, citric, tartronic);
- pectins;
- tannins;
- phytosterols.
The latter organic compounds are known to reduce the absorption of cholesterol into the blood.
Do apples contribute to weight loss? You shouldn’t have excessive hopes for these fruits. If your diet literally “lives” with large portions of fried, fatty dishes, fast food, colorful sodas and endless cookies-cakes-buns, then don’t expect a normal weight and a graceful figure.
Which apples are best for weight loss? The answer to this and other questions is below.
Things to Know
Carefully read the main questions and answers to them. This knowledge will help you achieve maximum benefit.
What are the benefits of losing weight with an apple diet?
The fiber in the pulp and the peel has a beneficial effect on digestion. Fruit acids effectively combat body fat. Add to this low calorie in combination with nutritional value and pleasant taste – we get an excellent product for snacks and “emergency” meals.
Does the peel color matter?
Green apples are considered preferable for weight loss, as they contain more acids that burn fat. There is a slight limitation, which will be discussed below. And if you especially love red fruits or those with yellow skin, then use them.
Can you eat a lot of apples?
Various factors are important here: do you use any other products for weight loss (for example, ginger), how much you plan to lose weight, how quickly you want to do it. In general, each of us has his own “a lot”. So a full-fledged answer will be formed in practice. If there are obvious signs of indigestion, then the number of apples eaten per day is clearly large.
Are dried apples good for weight loss?
Properly prepared fruits retain all the essential vitamins and minerals. Moreover, they are stored for a long time. Just be careful when buying. It is better not to buy fruits that are too dry, the pieces of which are literally petrified or crumbled in the fingers. The slices should be elastic. It is also important to remember that dried fruits are higher in calories.
Can you eat apples in the evening?
There are many jokes about lovers of evening and/or night raids on the refrigerator. And all conscientious fighters against excess weight are strongly advised not to eat anything after six in the evening. And what if behind a hard day’s work, a tiring journey home, and even a visit to the gym or pool? The feeling of hunger can simply go off scale.
In such a situation, you can have an apple for dinner. Just check if your body approves of it. If night visits to the toilet become more frequent, it is better to choose something else for dinner.
Debunking myths. It is believed that an apple before bed completely replaces a toothbrush. And indeed, this fruit, like carrots, is great for getting rid of dental plaque. However, fruit acids and sugar are harmful to tooth enamel. Conclusion: you ate an apple at night – brush your teeth!
“Apple” morning: yes or no?
Definitely yes, unless this is the only thing you are going to eat for breakfast. The morning meal is the most important, it simply must be complete. And an apple on an empty stomach will help with this: it will start a quality digestive process, transfer a portion of vitamins / microelements to the body, and also prevent overeating.
Restrictions
There are practically no contraindications to the apple diet. Only in two cases it is necessary to exercise caution.
Have you been diagnosed with stomach diseases with increased acidity of gastric juice? Perhaps any sour fruit is not for you, try to buy sweet ones. If you do come across sour ones, evaluate how beneficial baked apples can be for weight loss. Just be sure to cut out the core.
But for people with low acidity of gastric secretion, the double benefits of green apples for weight loss are undoubted. In such cases, sour varieties are recommended for maximum improvement of digestion.
Be careful. For any digestive problems, an apple diet should be discussed with your doctor beforehand.
Recipes
Dietary apple dishes are a vast area of cooking. Here are some basic recipes.
- Apple, beetroot and carrot salad
This is a real body cleansing master. Take a large apple, and vegetables (it is better not to cook them, there will be more benefits) – medium-sized. If you are categorically not set up to eat raw beets, boil them. Fruits and vegetables should be coarsely grated, seasoned with a mixture of lemon juice and olive oil.
Read about these wonderful vegetables that help you shed those extra pounds in our articles: “Losing Weight with Beets” and “Carrots for Weight Loss”.
- Soaked apples
Today they have become almost a forgotten product. Absolutely undeservedly: the taste is wonderful, they are stored for a long time. If you have roomy glass jars with a wide neck and suitable polyethylene lids on your farm, then try the following recipe:
- Put clean, undamaged apples in jars washed with baking soda and scalded with boiling water, layering them with twigs with mint, raspberries, black currants, lemon balm, and cherries.
- The top layer is leaves, they should fit tightly.
- Pour in dry mustard (no more than a tablespoon).
- You need a filling. For one liter of water, 15 g of salt, 30 ml of honey and 20 g of rye flour.
- The flour must be diluted in a small amount of warm water. Boil the remaining water and stir all the ingredients in it.
- Fill the jar with the filling to the top, close tightly with a lid, keep it warm for five to seven days, then from four to six weeks – in the cold. Ready!
Soaked apples retain all their beneficial properties and acquire a piquant taste
