WEIGHT LOSS is often associated with intense diets and exercise. Eating an apple a day could help you lose just as much weight. Weight loss can be a daunting journey for many with lots of diets on offer claiming to lose weight fast. However, experts recommend losing weight at a gradual pace so it is healthier for your body. It has been revealed that eating an apple a day could help you lose weight by slashing your daily calorie intake.
Apples are a fruit that is low in calories and high in fiber. They are around 116 calories per apple. Because low-calorie fruits like apples are more filling, you are more likely to eat less of other foods during the day.
Are Apples Weight-Loss-Friendly or Fattening?
Healthline suggests that an apple is almost three times as filling as a chocolate bar and has so many health benefits. Research suggests that apples are best eaten whole, rather than juiced, to reduce hunger and control appetite. This is because eating an apple will take longer to eat than drinking a glass of juice, meaning your body will be more satisfied.
In one study, researchers compared the effects of eating low-density versus high-density foods in middle-aged women. One group added oat cookies to their regular diet while another group added apples. Both the cookies and apples were similar in calorie counts and total fiber, but the apple calories were of much lower density.
At the end of ten weeks, the women who ate the oat cookies had no weight change, while the apple eaters had lost a considerable amount of weight. Studies have also indicated that eating an apple boosts the health of your heart by slashing high levels of cholesterol.
Scientists believe the miracle apples work by increasing levels of the hunger-suppressing hormone GLP-1. This means you are less likely to overeat. To lose weight, your calorie intake needs to be in a deficit. This means you are consuming fewer calories than your body is burning, which in turn leads to weight loss.
Apples make you feel fuller for longer so if you do consume fewer other foods like high-sugar processed snacks throughout the day, you will lose weight.
Some experts recommend adding an apple to your diet every day instead of partaking in an intense unhealthy diet because these can lead to binge eating habits.
Therefore incorporating high-fibre fruits into your diet is a much healthier way to assist in the weight loss process.
Apples have a low glycemic index, which means although they are high in natural sugars, your blood sugar levels don’t spike when you eat them.
Easy recipes including apples can be a smart way to control cravings when you’re trying to lose weight.
Pink Lady apples are one of the most popular apples in the UK.
To satisfy a sweet tooth, they recommend making Pink Lady® energy balls.
They say that these can assist with health, wellbeing and weight loss.
Add 140g of oats, 120g of crunchy almond butter, 50g of unsweetened, desiccated coconut, 75ml of runny honey and one tsp of ground cinnamon to a food processor.
They then recommend rolling these into two tablespoon portion balls and rolling them in more coconut before putting them in the fridge for two hours.
You can also add an apple to your morning porridge, which will help you stay away from that mid-morning snack.
Oats can also help you feel fuller for longer, and contain a low amount of calories. This will also help aid the weight loss process when combined with apples.
Apples have several properties that increase feelings of fullness, which may aid weight loss by reducing overall calorie intake.