Apples: Weight Loss and Health Benefits

by Maria on October 29, 2013

Experts suggest that apples can help you lose weight.

Here are some weight loss benefits of apples:

  • They are low in calories and fat, and therefore, a great low-fat snack when you are in a hurry!
  • Apples are low in sodium. Keeping your sodium low will help prevent water retention and excess water weight.
  • The fiber and water content in them helps you curb your appetite and keeps you full longer because the fiber expands in your stomach, and as a result, it takes less food to satisfy your hunger. Plus, it takes our bodies longer to digest complex fiber.
  • The ursolic acid in apple’s peel is linked to a lower risk of obesity because it boosts calorie  burn, and increases muscle and brown fat (brown fat, as opposed to yellow fat,  is found in much smaller amounts in the body and actually burns calories to generate heat).
  • A study has shown that people who eat at least three apples a day lose weight.

Why “an apple a day keeps the doctor away”?

 Research suggests that:

1.  The enzymes found in apples might help your body digest food more efficiently.

2.  Apples are a good source of the strong antioxidant vitamin C, plus vitamins A, B1, B2, B6, C, E, K, folate, and niacin, and minerals, such as potassium, phosphorus, calcium, manganese, magnesium, all of which benefit you by boosting your immune system and, by doing so, increasing your health and vitality.

3.  The soluble fiber pectin found in apples binds with fats in the intestine, and in this way helps lower artery-damaging LDL cholesterol levels.

4.   Apples are rich in flavonoids, antioxidants that help fend off heart disease and prevent high blood pressure.

5.   The consumption of flavonol-rich apples could help reduce your risk of developing pancreatic cancer by up to 23 per cent, while several compounds—triterpenoids—in apple peel have potent anti-growth effect against cancer cells in the liver, colon and breast.

6.    A powerful antioxidant called quercetin, found in the skins of apples, has been linked with better lung function, and lowering your chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease by fighting the effects of aging while protecting cells from degeneration.

7.    The antioxidants and the soluble fiber in apples stabilize blood sugar and decrease the risk of type 2 diabetes. Research has found that women who eat an apple a day are 28 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those who don’t eat apples.

8.   Apples boost teeth and gum health. Biting and chewing an apple stimulates the gums and the production of saliva, thus reducing tooth decay by lowering the levels of bacteria in the mouth.

9.    People who eat fruits and other high-fiber foods gain a certain amount of protection against Parkinson’s disease and gallstones.

10.   The fiber found in apples can either pull water out of your colon to keep things moving along when you’re backed up, or absorb excess water from your stool to slow your bowels down, thus helping you beat both diarrhea and constipation.

11.   Apples can neutralize irritable bowel syndrome.

12.   Fiber in apples can prevent you from straining too much when going to the bathroom and, by doing so, help you avert hemorrhoids.

13.   Apples can help you detoxify your liver.

14.   People who have a diet rich in fruits that contain antioxidants-like apples – are 10 to 15 percent less likely to develop cataracts.

So, go ahead and eat your apples for weight loss and health!

Note: Apples are usually sprayed with pesticides because they are vulnerable to worms and insects. That is why, always wash apples carefully before eating. Also, consider peeling waxed apples – the wax may prevent pesticide residue from being rinsed off.





Leave a Comment

Previous post:

Next post: