All your life you have heard people telling you to eat an apple because it is healthy, a great snack, an all-season fruit, and whatnot!
This red and round fruit contains plenty of antioxidants such as Quercetin, Catechin, Phloridzin, and Chlorogenic acid.
Consuming such anti-oxidant leads to fewer chances of your body activating the cancer cells.
Those who replace drinking fruit juices with eating fruit have fewer chances of getting type 2 diabetes.
But does it contain any nutritional value and can help you with your calorie deficit diet? Let’s find out!
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Are apples good for weight loss?
Apples are a low-calorie fruit and also quite filling, so you eat anything else after a long interval of time.
This high-fiber fruit also tastes great with yoghurt, granola bowls, salad, etc. So they make an ideal breakfast or lunch meal as you stay full for longer.
The fibers feed off the bacteria in your stomach, help your digestion process, and reduce the chances of obesity.
Research was conducted with 3 groups of females; one group was given 3 apples per day, one group had 3 pears per day and the third group had 3 oat cookies per day.
After 10 weeks, the oat cookies group had no change in weight but the apple group had lost 0.9kg.
Not only this but, they had also reduced their calorie intake by 25 calories per day!
Apples also help keep your blood sugar well maintained, thus reducing insulin levels and less fluctuation of body mass and weight.
Can apples burn belly fat?
Apples are low in calories and since they make you feel full for longer, you munch on things for a longer period, resulting in less intake of calories.
Apples contain calcium D which cleans out your liver and balances the levels of estrogens in your body which in result fights the premenstrual syndrome in women and reduces water weight.
So, how much weight can you gain from an apple?
It’s always beneficial to be aware of how much nutrition, calories, etc. there are in what you eat.
One apple contains around 95 calories with its skin with 0.3 grams of fat, 25 grams of carbohydrates, 10 grams of sugar, and 2.4 grams of fiber.
All these calories contribute to ‘healthy calories.’
It is said that you can have 2 apples in a day and no more. If even 2 apples cause side effects, it is recommended that you see a doctor.
However, consuming too much of anything is harmful; even apples can not always keep the doctors away!
Because of the amount of sugar in apples, an excess in consumption of apples can lead to damage to your teeth, including cavities and tooth decay.
It can also bloat your stomach, making you look like you are gaining weight since it pushes onto your intestines and creates pressure.
But apples are ideal for a pre-workout snack as the carbohydrates in them can give you a surge of energy.
Having around 5 apples a day can add onto 500 more calories and you will no longer be on a calorie deficit diet.
However, the size of the apple matters, as a large-sized apple contains 116 calories.
It is best that you track your calories to manage your diet.
Do apples make you gain weight or lose weight?
If you want to gain weight, you need to eat more than you burn.
If you eat one apple each day, you will have enough excess calories to gain one pound every 2 months.
Even though consuming excess calories can lead to weight gain, it is always better to gain weight in the ‘healthier’ way of resorting to fruits rather than junk food.
If your aim is to gain weight, make sure you have the apples in between meals as a snack, as these are also known as healthy calories.
In a standard low-carb diet, 130 grams of carbohydrates are required. A regular-sized apple contains 25 grams of carbohydrates.
As a result, by consuming a single apple, you are consuming 20 percent of the carbohydrates needed for an entire day.
Since there is high quantity fiber in apples, the fiber ensures that the sugar in your body is digested at a slower rate, stopping your blood sugar from rising, hence causing weight loss.
Healthy apple snack recipes:
- Peanut butter bread is the perfect protein snack post workout. Spread some peanut butter onto your bread and just top it off with some crispy apples. If you don’t like the apples on top, just have them on the side of your plate.
- Apples with Greek yoghurt topped with nuts or peanut butter is also the ideal snack or can be eaten for breakfast as well.
- Smoothies that contain apples are also quite healthy. Blend a few bananas, berries, and an apple with protein powder are an ideal post workout snack. This gives you around 300 calories.
- Cutting your apples into slices and soaking it into cold water with a few drops of lemon for a bit and then putting peanut butter on top of it makes a delicious snack. Also, for some extra protein and crunch, add some granola on top of the peanut butter and enjoy!
Is an apple the perfect snack for a balanced diet? The last word.
Apples are good for weight loss and weight gain, but it is important that you are mindful of what you eat for weight loss or gain.
Regardless of maintaining your weight, consuming apples has a lot of benefits in maintaining your heart health, brain function, and prevention of cancer.
